


Wreckage

by PandaTurtle333



Series: S.O.S. [3]
Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mental Health Issues, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-21 16:45:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 56,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16580252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandaTurtle333/pseuds/PandaTurtle333
Summary: After a harrowing winter, Anna Wycoff is left with new scars. As she clings to one last shred of hope, she finds herself surrounded by new and old faces. In the third installment of this Walking Dead Fan series, Anna must decide how far she's willing to go to keep herself and those she loves alive.





	1. Prologue

_37 days after fall of the farm house…_

 

Slamming the door behind her, Anna took the moment to pull her inhaler out of her pocket. She brought it to her lips to soothe the aching in her lungs made worse by the frigid air, but no medicine came out. She cursed, shaking it before trying again – still nothing. Anna looked on the back to find that her puff amount was now at zero. 

“Shit.” She hissed, tossing the inhaler to the side.

Raising her arms, she clasped her hands behind her head and began to pace, taking long deep breaths. Anna muttered to herself, trying to calm down and come up with a plan of escape, but nothing came to mind. She could feel panic building up in the pit of her stomach, clenching her throat. But now was not the time to lose her head.

Squaring her shoulders, she stood straight – her arms hanging firm at her sides. She stared hard at the opposite wall, fighting the tears that were building up behind her bottom lids. 

“I. Am. Fine.” She seethed. Anna clenched her fists, focusing on her nails pushing into her palms. She felt like her head was underwater, and she could feel a few tears escape down her cheek.

 _Escape. I need to escape._ A window shattered behind her and Anna’s eyes snapped to a door that seemed tucked away from where she stood. Forcing her feet forward, she ripped the door open, and dashed out of the house and into the backyard. Without a second thought, Anna ran across the crunching dead grass and jumped onto the fence. The top of the wood panels scratched her palms as she used her momentum to swing her legs over to the other side. She let go too soon, however, and rolled her right ankle on the hard landing.

Biting back a scream of pain, she inhaled sharply through her nose. Anna rose and began jogging around a pool to a metal door that was placed in the ground. Pain seared up her leg, and her hand stung as air hit her palm. She didn’t bother glancing down – she didn’t have time to care if her palm had been sliced open on the fence. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt a bit of hope. Storm shelters provided safety from more than just dangerous weather.

A growl came to her attention, and she turned her head in time to be tackled by a corpse.  
She gasped as cold, muggy water hit her in the back. Her burning lungs filled with thick liquid. Anna struggled against her attacker blindly, eyes squeezed shut to prevent green and brown water from infecting them.

 _Is this it?_ Anna thought to herself, feeling the hard floor of the pool press against her back, her ears popping from the water pressure. _Is this how I’m going to die?_

She stopped struggling. _Let this be the end._ She begged.

The next moment was a blur. She felt her back hit the hard ground as air forced its way into her lungs. She gasped, coughing up the ice-cold water. She stared at the overcast sky, not moving except for the heavy inhales and exhales, her breath coming out in plums of steam.

“You alive?”

Her dark eyes lazily turned to the man hovering over her, his clothes soaked. He’d jumped in to save her. _Why?_

“Does it matter?”  She croaked.

“Anna?”

Her brow furrowed, and she tilted her head so that she could see who had called her name. The voice had sounded like a distant memory.

"Anna?” The woman asked, crouching beside her. She placed her gloved hands against Anna’s left cheek. “Is that really you?”

Anna’s vision flooded as she stared back at the woman, confusion and heart ache filling her chest. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She refused. This was all a cruel dream.

As she fell unconscious against the cold ground a name slipped past her lips.

“Marley….”

*

When Anna opened her eyes again, she was staring at a tiled ceiling, fluorescent light shining in her face. She squinted past the light and cast her eyes about the room, wincing at the pain radiating through her body.

 _Where am I?_ She thought groggily. From what she could tell she was in some sort of infirmary with an IV sticking out of her arm and a hand-cuff around her wrist.

The sound of a hushed argument drew her attention to the open door which led out into a dark hallway. There, she could see two figures standing with their heads bent close together.

“She can’t stay here. She’s useless. Look at her.” The male figure said, gesturing into the room.

“You owe me.” Hissed the shorter female figure.

The male figure groaned, seeming to run his hand down his face. After a long pause he finally spoke.

“Fine. But, after this, Herring, we’re done. No more favors.” The man jabbed his finger into the woman’s chest and stalked off. The woman watched after him before turning her head into the room.

Anna didn’t bother to pretend she was asleep or hadn’t heard their poorly whispered fight.

“You’re awake.” The woman said, striding into the room as if she owned the place. Anna watched with abject astonishment as Marley Herring settled herself in the chair beside the bed and at her. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”

Anna scoffed. “Not how I would describe it.” She said, her voice scratchy.

They stared at each other, assessing, waiting for the other to break first. In the end, it was Marley.

“I went to South Carolina first.” Anna said nothing and made no outward reaction. Just waited. “I couldn’t find your family. The house, it was….” She trailed off, averting her eyes.

Anna clenched her jaw, turning her gaze back to the ceiling. She could feel the tears pricking at her eyelids. But what was the use in crying? She’d known they were dead from the moment that automated voice told her they were _unavailable_.

“I thought you died with them.” Anna glanced back at Marley who had begun to silently cry. “I thought you were dead. I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Anna reached out for Marley’s hand, paused, and pulled away.

“I wish I was.”


	2. Chapter One

_172 days later…_

 

Anna gasped, her eyes snapping open to a dark room. She took a moment to breathe. To calm the panic in her chest and remind herself where she was, and where she wasn’t. She clicked on her bedside lantern and sat up, the covers pooling around her waist. She stared at the blank wall in front of her, counting the bricks, grounding herself.

Standing from her bunk, she made her way into the small bathroom, her bare feet padding along the tiled floor. Flicking on the bathroom light, she could see herself clearly in the mirror.

Her hair had grown past her shoulders over the near seven months since Carol had cut it for her. Her once smooth face now had a scar running from her right temple to the top of her right cheekbone, and her nose had a crook in it from being broken more than once. She currently also had a small black eye on her left side.

She grimaced at her appearance and turned on the faucet. She focused on scrubbing the night’s sweat from her skin. When she looked back at her reflection, she could almost see the person she was before. But things change – people change. Anna was no exception.

Anna clenched her jaw as she stared into her dark eyes and flicked the light off, drowning herself in darkness once again.

*

After dressing and braiding her hair back, she made her way to the chow hall. There was already a din of morning chatter as she pushed the double doors open. She took stock of the people that filled the room, men and women clad in army fatigues – just like her – bowed over their trays, scarfing down their breakfast and swapping stories.

Anna fixed her own tray and located an empty table far from everyone else. She chewed slowly on her scrambled eggs and sipped quietly on her cup of black coffee, ignoring the subtle glances a few of the other soldiers cast her way. Her solitude never went unnoticed and never lasted long. A tray was set down across from her as a woman took a seat.

“Morning.” Marley greeted.

Anna stared back at her, taking in her appearance. Her light brown hair was short around her ears, and her hazel eyes were assessing. “How’d you sleep?” Marley asked.

Anna shrugged and took another sip of her coffee.

“Through the night.” She elaborated as she set the cup back down in favor of eating the rest of her breakfast.

Marley sighed at her response before changing the subject altogether.

“Are you excited? The scouting party is heading out today.” Anna looked over her shoulder to see a group of five men, four of which would be headed out by lunch.

Scouting, as Marley had explained it to her, was when a party went out with a helicopter in search of settlements and possible supply caches. They had three days to return with locations, and then a group would be formed to do the supply run or meet with the new people. Marley hadn’t gone into much further detail than that, and Anna wasn’t inclined to ask any questions. She didn’t care.

“I guess,” was the best response Anna could muster. She finished her breakfast and chugged the rest of her coffee before standing from the table. Seeing the already growing stack of trays, she didn’t envy whoever had been assigned dish duty.

Marley trailed after her. “Well, you’ve gotta be excited for patrol today, at least.”

Anna stalked out of the cafeteria, Marley behind her, and squinted past the sun. For the most part, Fort Benning had been overrun, but the remaining soldiers managed to protect one of the old hospitals on the base before taking the elementary school and the gym, as well as the smaller surrounding buildings.

Despite having the guns and ammunition to take back the rest of the base, they lacked the man power. Eventually, the walkers that had once threatened them became protection from the outside world, deterring any possible looters from taking what was theirs.

The elementary school had been turned into a combination storage and living quarters. There was no need for an educational institution anymore, as everyone there either had, at the very least, a high school education, or had given up on schooling altogether.

The hospital had remained the same, and they chose to store the weapons in the gym. Ultimately, they had a total of three large buildings and thirteen smaller buildings used for “project management” and living space for senior officers like the Colonel, who headed what was left of the military at Fort Benning.

As they crossed the field from the elementary school to the gym, Anna could see a single helicopter several yards away being prepped for the scouting mission. She found herself briefly wondering how it had fared throughout the bitter winter.

The last time the helicopter had been sent out on a scouting mission was just as the air had turned cold. The men operating it had been drawn to the flames of a burning barn and a herd of walkers converging on a white farmhouse.  They had eventually come upon a camp five miles off the highway; a group of thirty men who were not looking to make friends.

Anna clenched her jaw at the memory. She didn’t want to think about those days.

Inside the gym, Anna and Marley approached the front desk, where a young woman with white-blonde hair sat writing in a folder of paperwork.

“What do you want?” The woman asked, not bothering to look up from her work. Anna didn’t have to look at her name patch to know she was Private Miller.

“Patrol.” Anna replied. With a quick glance at the women in front of her, Miller pulled a file from the ever-towering stack and wrote their names down.  She waved them on and they made their way to the armory at the back of the gym, their footsteps echoing down the hall.

Marley chattered away about meaningless things as they pulled Kevlar vests on over their fatigues and strapped their sidearms to their thighs, before heading to the carport to sign out a set of keys to a Humvee.

Once outside, they made their way to the bulky green vehicle parked in front of a metal dumpster. Anna hopped into the passenger side, Marley sliding into the driver’s side a few seconds later, and soon they were off.

Marley steered the Humvee at an easy pace around the compound, Anna’s eyes peeled on the perimeter.

“You know, you’ve been here almost seven months—” Marley started.

“173 days.” Anna clarified, picking a piece of lint from her knee.

“In all that time, you have not once told me about the group you were with before.”

“I’ve told you stuff.”

“Not everything. Come on! I want to know about the people you survived all that time with.” Marley pushed.

“There’s not much more to say about them that I haven’t already told you.” Anna grimaced, turning away from her companion in favor of staring out the window.

“Not even the guy with the crossbow?” Marley asked. “There’s gotta be more to that.”

“Well, there isn’t.” Anna snapped, glaring over her shoulder. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter.” Her eyes landed on three walkers wandering too close to the compound. Anna nodded in their direction. “Walkers.”

Marley sighed, pulling the Humvee to the side of the road.

“Right, that’s what you guys called them.”

Anna hadn’t quite taken to calling them biters as Marley tended to do. Before Marley could continue, Anna jumped from the Humvee and approached the first walker quickly, pulling her knife from its sheath on her hip as she drew near.

She ducked its arms to come up behind it. She grabbed the walker’s stringy hair and rammed her knife through the back of its skull.

Anna could hear the second walker behind her, feel the tips of its finger reaching for her. She whirled around and swung her knife, ramming it into the walker’s ear.

Anna yanked at the knife, but it wouldn’t come out. She gave up as she felt the third walker’s hands curl over her shoulders. She used the training she’d received throughout the 173 days she’d been at the compound and wrapped her hands around the walker’s forearms. Anna bent at the waist and pulled hard.

The walker lost its balance and tumbled over her as she forced its mouth away from her body. It landed hard on its back and let out a hungry roar. Anna reeled back as she got a good look at its sallow, empty face.

It was a male that looked far too similar to a face that she’d seen every day since the farm house was lost. She worked her jaw, clenching and unclenching her hands as she stared at it, watching it flip over to get up. With its face obscured, it felt as though she had broken free of some sort of spell. Anna threw her leg out, kicking it hard under the jaw. It fell back, and she followed through, not letting its face faze her again, stomping on its head again and again and again.

A shot fired through the air. Anna stared back at Marley. Both their eyes were wide, Marley’s gun lowering from where it was aimed over Anna’s shoulder. Anna glanced behind her and watched as the walker she had forgotten about fell to the ground, a bullet hole in its cheek.

“Your aim is getting better. You didn’t close one eye this time?” She asked, straightening as she stepped over the walkers she’d put down. She knelt beside the first walker and yanked at the knife sticking out of its ear. It came out with a disgusting squelch, black blood and brain matter smeared on the blade.

Marley heaved a sigh.

“Anna, you can’t just….” She trailed off, looking at the destroyed head of the second walker. “Do you... uh... need to talk?” Marley asked, looking back at her.

Anna strode past her to the Humvee. “Nope.”

*

Anna and Marley rode back to the compound in silence. She could just feel Marley quietly fuming in the driver’s seat. Anna leaned into her door, using her hand as a pillow against the window as she watched the helicopter take off and disappear on the horizon.

She found herself wondering what the scouting party would find. If they would find Daryl and the others – if they were even alive.

*

*

“Light it up!” Daryl called. The air filled with gun fire as the group took out the walkers in the field, aiming carefully so as not to waste their limited ammunition. Daryl considered how amusing it was. Here they were trying to break into a prison when a year ago people did their best to stay out of it. But this prison was a chance. A chance for them to start again, to have the security they thought they’d had at the farm.

After the last walker fell, he and Carol made their way from the guard tower they’d been firing from and gathered with the others to set up camp. For the first time in nearly seven months, they had hope.

*

Night had fallen, and Daryl took post on an overturned bus just inside the gate, his eyes trained on the dark tree line.

The sound of someone climbing caught his attention. He knew it was Carol checking up on him as she always did. He helped her up the rest of the way, accepting the food she had brought for him.

“It’s not much, but if I don’t bring you something you won’t eat at all,” she said, giving him a pointed look as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“I guess little Shane over there got quite the appetite.” He replied snidely as he took a bite of the food.

Carol sighed and smiled at him.

“Don’t be mean,” she scolded gently. “Rick’s gotten us a lot farther than I ever thought he would, I’ll give him that.”  Daryl hummed in response. “Shane could never have done that.”

They stood in silence as Daryl ate. Carol rolled her shoulder, grimacing.

“What’s wrong?”  He asked.

“It’s that rifle, the kickback,” she explained. “Just not used to it.”

Daryl set the bowl of food down, sucking the meats residue off his fingers before gesturing for Carol to turn her back to him. He kneaded her shoulder, feeling the knots in her muscle.

Carol glanced over her shoulder, smiling in thanks. But Daryl could see in her eyes that she wanted to ask him something. Something he wouldn’t want to talk about.

“Better get back.” He grimaced, pulling away from his companion.

“It’s pretty romantic.” Carol observed, pursing her lips. “Want to screw around?”

Daryl scoffed at her before they both broke into a fit of laughter. Over the long winter, Carol and Daryl had become close. They just seemed to understand each other in a way no one else in the group ever could. Despite her teasing remark, there were no romantic feelings between them - and they both knew why.

“Do you still think of Anna?” She asked, looking out at the group gathered around a small fire.

Daryl was still facing the tree line. He didn’t say anything for a long time, unsure of what he was supposed to say. The group hadn’t talked about Anna or any of the others they had lost at the farm.   It was too painful. But Daryl would be a damn liar if he ever said he didn’t think about Anna.

“I still….” He trailed off, grimacing at the pain that rose in his chest whenever he thought about her. “I still look for her. Out on hunts,” he explained.

Carol nodded. “She’s alive out there,” she whispered.

Daryl had repeated that to himself nearly every day since they’d been separated. He had convinced himself that, at the very least, she was still with Anderson. And when that wasn’t enough, he would pour over her journal, reading her words over and over until it felt as though she were standing beside him.

He had memorized each letter, each tear stain in the entries about her life before, each angry scribble when she wrote about the people they had lost. And she had seen the people around her, seen him, and decided they were worth remembering. She had detailed everything that had happened, from the moment she had boarded a plane for South Carolina to the moment she had kissed him in the dark.

But she wasn’t beside him, and he hated the way her absence hurt. He had to believe she was alive out there. He just hoped she’d had a better winter then they did.


	3. Chapter Two

Anna grunted as her back hit the ground hard, her breath leaving her in a huff. Val stood over her grinning, his eyes alight with pride.

“I win again, Wycoff,” he declared.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him, noticing an opening. She swung her legs around and wrapped them around his own, twisting so that he lost his balance and fell. She quickly rolled to straddle his stomach, fist at his throat.

“Stop leaving yourself open,” she chided, a smirk playing at her lips.

The list of people Anna tolerated in the compound was extremely short. There was Marley, who she’d known since before the outbreak, and Val Gutierrez.

Val stood at six foot two inches and didn’t mind the long silences Anna was prone to. He’d been at Fort Benning when it was overrun by the dead, losing his brother and his girlfriend in the process, and had helped the soldiers take part of the Fort back.

He’d also been the one to find Marley wandering the perimeter on her own. The fact that she had managed to slip past the horde of walkers the compound was using for cover had earned her a place among them.

He’d also been the one to jump into a muggy pool in the middle of winter to fish Anna out of the water.

“Alright, alright! Get off me!” He griped, shoving her fist away from his throat.

Anna jumped up before holding out her hand to help him. She could see in the corner of her eye Marley standing off to the side of the sparring mats, a scowl on her face. The two approached her, Val animatedly telling Anna a story. Anna noticed as Marley carefully rearranged her face into a grim expression.

“The scouting party hasn’t returned,” she explained, interrupting Val’s grand tale of whatever – Anna hadn’t been listening.

“Seriously? It’s been three days – they should’ve been back by now.” Val furrowed his brow, staring down at Marley.

Marley nodded.  “That’s why they’re gathering a search party,” she stated. “I signed us up to go.”

Val’s face broke out into a grin at her words. Anna, on the other hand, only narrowed her eyes.

“All of us?”  She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Marley smiled back at Val.

“Yeah, the list has already been accepted. We’re eating breakfast on the road.”

Anna clenched her jaw. Would she have volunteered to go on the search mission? Of course. She just hated being told what to do.

*

It was decided the search group would head the 78 miles towards Newnan, following the expected Northern trajectory of the scouting party. Anna sat in the backseat of the Humvee with Marley in the driver's seat and Val in the passenger's seat as the caravan made its way down interstate 185, taking back roads when necessary to avoid traffic jams. They had been out for nearly an hour, keeping their eyes peeled for a helicopter in the sky or signs of a crash. So far, neither had been spotted.

Anna was leaned against her side of the Humvee, head against the window as she watched the horizon. The sky was clear as far as she could see. No metal bird or plumes of smoke. Her attention drifted lower to the tree line that sped past them. Not for the first time, she found her mind wandering.

“When’s the last time you got laid?”

Anna scrunched up her face, shooting an incredulous look to Val in the front passenger seat.

“That was random.” Marley laughed from behind the wheel, wiping at a few stray tears that had tracked down her cheeks. “Yesterday, stupid.” She said, lightly slapping Val’s arm.

It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Anna that Marley and Val had a relationship that wasn’t exactly platonic – though neither had been outright about it. Anna couldn’t fathom any reason Marley would have for not telling her. But, unlike Marley, Anna didn’t push.

“What about you, Anna? When’s the last time you got laid?” Anna rolled her eyes at Val as he turned around in his seat to look at her.

“Bet it was with the crossbow guy.” Marley teased, looking at Anna through the rear-view mirror.

“Crossbow guy?” Val asked, turning his attention to Marley.

Marley nodded. “Yeah, what was his name? Darren?”

“Daryl.” Anna muttered, leaning back in her seat. “Nothing happened.” Her eyes trailed back to the tree line, staring numbly at a walker wandering along. Anna was lying though. Something had happened, however chaste. They just hadn’t had a chance to explore it any further.

“Shit!” Marley cursed, slamming on the breaks. Anna flew forward, catching herself on the passenger seat. She peered over Val’s shoulder. The caravan had come to a stop at the start of a pile up.

Anna lifted the hatch on the roof of the Humvee and climbed to the top. She stood there, staring at what looked like a mile-long traffic jam. She heard a door slam and Conner – the leader of the search party – rounded his truck.

“What do you see Wycoff?”  He called, shielding his eyes against the sun as he looked up at her.

“Looks like New York during a music festival,” she replied.

Conner sighed and dropped his hands to his hips with a shake of his head.

“Damn it,” he hissed.

“We could head back about five miles and take a side road to Moreland.” Anna offered, hopping back into the Humvee, her torso still sticking out of the roof. “It’ll widen our search radius.”

Conner nodded his agreement.

“Sounds good.” He headed back to his truck, waving his hand in the air to indicate they were turning around.

*

Moreland, Georgia was a small town. According to the welcome sign, there were approximately 422 people who lived there. Or at least used to live there. Anna could see small packs of walkers wandering languidly down the narrow streets as the caravan stopped in the town square.

“Let’s scavenge some supplies and we’ll head out. Mueller, Bass, you’re on fuel duty. Smith and Reyes, I want you on look out. Val, Herring, Wycoff, you three look around see if there’s anything worth taking.” They all nodded and split off into their tasks.

Val took the lead as the three made their way through the small shops along the road, keeping the caravan in sight until they disappeared within.

It was quiet in the first store, no sign of any opposition. It had already been thoroughly picked through. The second store was much the same. In the third and fourth stores, they were able to take out the few walkers they came across with precision.

Anna hated to admit it, but she actually enjoyed taking out the walkers. The way her hand felt as she plunged her knife into their heads, destroying the brain, destroying the things that had taken so much from her. She’d be damned if she ever told a soul, but with each walker she killed, she would recite the names of everyone she’d lost. Sometimes, she’d even catch herself whispering their names aloud.

“Anna!” Hissed Marley, breaking her focus as another walker fell at her feet. She glanced over and saw Marley ducked behind a counter.

“Look what I found.” Marley grinned as she held up a thick gold chain. “You’ll make me a necklace like yours now, right?”

Marley was, of course, talking about the bullet Anna wore around her neck.

“That chain is too shiny, find a different one.” Anna chided before turning away to start rummaging through a bin of food. She took out what was expired and kicked it over to Marley. “Put the useful stuff in there and we’ll head back.”

"Hey guys!” Called Val from the back of the store. “Look what I found.” He beamed with pride as he held up a large container of water bottles.

“Nice.” Anna agreed, striding over to him, reaching out her hands for the water. As they exchanged the loot, movement caught her attention. Before there was time to react, a walker burst from the storeroom behind them, grabbing for her.

“Move!” Val shouted, pushing her out of the way. He let out a harsh gasp as the walker’s mouth closed around his shoulder.

Anna swung the water as hard as she could, knocking it into the walkers head.

“Val!” She heard Marley shriek, running to his side. Anna kicked the walker to the ground and dropped the water on its head, watching as the blood and brain matter splattered along the tiled floor.

Then she heard more groaning. She chanced a look outside the front doors of the store. She felt her breath catch in her throat as one than four than twelve walkers trailed along the store front.

“Help him!” Marley shouted. Anna whirled around, slapping her hand over Marley’s mouth.  Marley pushed Anna’s hand away, crying out as she stared in horror at Val cringing on the floor. He looked between the two his breathing labored as the color drained from his face. Blood poured from the gaping wound on his shoulder, staining his fatigues.

She heard the push of the door. Anna chanced another glance over her shoulder. Marley’s cries had attracted several walkers, and they were running out of options. She could hear the gunfire outside, the screech of tires.

“Marley, we need to go.”

“We can’t leave him!”

Anna turned to face the impending threat, lashing out at the first and taking it down easily. But she knew her stamina. She wouldn’t last long against the rest.

“We don’t have a choice.” She snapped.

“Please.”

She looked to Val and stared into his eyes as he reached out his hand.

“Go,” he croaked. Anna watched as he pulled his gun from its holster.

Anna clenched her jaw and wrapped a hand around Marley’s upper arm, hauling her to her feet.

“We need to go.” Anna said, her voice clipped as she shoved her friend towards the storeroom. Marley finally looked up, finally saw the walkers approaching them. Anna stepped over Val and drew her own pistol. She aimed it in front of her as she entered the storeroom, pulling Marley along behind her.

She found the open back door, a walker making its way through as she heard Val’s first shot, and then the next five as she put down the walker in front of her. She knew Val’s gun only held ten bullets. He only had four more shots.

Three.

Anna kept her grip on Marley as they flew out the door and into the alley.

Two.

Marley dug her feet into the ground and brought them to a halt.

One.

“We can’t leave him!”

_Always save one bullet._

Zero _._

It was the final shot that got Marley moving. They didn’t hear any screams as they ran away down the road heading North, away from the herd. They didn’t stop running until the sounds of moans and the smell of rotting flesh no longer filled the air. Their breathing was labored as they struggled to remain standing. Anna leaned against a tree, reaching for the blue inhaler in her pocket that the Colonel had given her. The medicine made the burning in her lungs bearable, but nonetheless, she still braced herself against the thick trunk of the tree.

“He’s gone.” Marley said breathlessly. Anna looked to her friend. “He’s gone.” Marley rounded on her, eye ablaze with rage. “You let him die!”

Anna winced at the assertion. Logically, Anna knew it hadn’t been her fault. But the logic of the situation didn’t stop the twisted feeling in her gut, or the ache in her chest. _I should have been paying better attention,_ she thought to herself as Marley continued to shout.

“How could you just leave him to die after he saved your life? That walker was coming for you, Anna!”

No matter how much it hurt her to hear the words come out of her best friends mouth, she remained silent, waiting for Marley to finish.

Once she’d run out of breath, Marley ran her hands through her hair. Anna wanted to reach out to her, hug her, show her some sort of comfort. So, Anna forced herself to reach out her hand. Marley saw this and quickly stepped away, leveling Anna with a hard glare, her face streaked with tears.

Anna dropped her hand to her side and averted her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

*

Anna stared through the trees, the rising sun illuminating the forest in a dim, cold light. The small fire – embers barely enough for warmth – had died out sometime during the night while Anna sat on watch. When it was Marley’s turn to take over, Anna had decided not to wake her; she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyhow. Even if Anna had somehow found her way to sleep, her dreams would be haunted by memories she’d rather forget.

The sound of a yawn called her attention. Looking over her shoulder, she could see Marley stretching as she rose into a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes, blinking rapidly and looking around their pathetic camp.

“You didn’t wake me?” She asked, taking in the morning light.

Anna shrugged.

“You can find breakfast,” she said, rising from the fallen tree she perched on. “I think I saw a bush of berries back there,” she commented gesturing to the South, from where they’d come.

The pair ate a meager breakfast as they briefly discussed where they would go. The base was too far to walk. On the highway, they had a chance to find a car and scavenge supplies. There was also the possibility that the search party would have gone back to the pile-up or found another way around it. Assuming anyone survived.

With their decision made, the two set out. For five miles they walked with only the sounds of the leaves and twigs crunching under their boots filling the silence stretching between them. Anna was beginning to think that Marley wouldn’t speak to her for the entire journey, when the taller woman finally spoke.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Marley kept her eyes in front of her as she worked her jaw.

Anna shrugged. “It’s alright,” she muttered, watching the rigid line of Marley’s shoulders. Marley always had a hard time admitting when she was wrong. Anna supposed this was no different.

“No, it’s not.” Marley said, shaking her head. “I loved him. I never had the courage to tell him, but I did.”

Anna sighed. “I know.”

“God, would you say more than just two words!” Marley snapped, whirling around to face Anna. Anna stopped walking and stared back at her friend. “Something!” She could feel the tension crackling between them. “You used to talk to me – now it’s like I don’t even know you!”

Anna took a steadying breath. “People change.”

“And you won’t give me a chance to get to know you again. Just give me something – you owe me that much.”

Anna clenched her jaw, trying to find the words that would appease her friend, but she came up short. Marley was right – they didn’t know each other anymore, and Anna hadn’t given either of them a chance to.

“I’m doing as much as I can, Marley. You have to understand, this isn’t any easier for me.” Anna pleaded, trying to convey how much it pained her that she wasn’t the person she was before.

A long moment stretched on between them as they said nothing.

“Do you think he suffered?”

Anna tilted her head back, looking up into the treetops, the light shining through the leaves. “No.” she said, watching as a squirrel jumped from one branch to the next. _Always save one bullet._

It started as a low hum in the distance, but as it neared them, Anna could distinguish the sound of the helicopter blades. Then they saw the black spot in the sky circling around before faltering. Smoke trailed behind it as it dropped through the air.

Anna and Marley looked to each other, unsure of what they had just seen. The sound of a hard landing set them off running.


	4. Chapter Three

The wreckage was a tangled mess of metal limbs and fire. Anna and Marley drew their sidearms, aiming low as they approached the crash.

“It looks like the rotors gave out,” Marley whispered. Anna nodded to indicate that she heard as she checked the pulse of the pilot, Lt. Welles.

“He’s alive. Barely,” she muttered back.

There was a sound that caught Anna’s attention, and she aimed her gun higher as she stepped around the bird. She blinked at what she saw.

“Nice sword,” she commented. “Who are you?”

The woman turned slowly. They stared at each other, their narrowed eyes unwavering as they evaluated the other.

The woman was tall – taller than Anna, at least – with dark smooth skin. Her hair was in dread locks held back with a patterned scarf, and aside from her gray jeans and purple tank top, she wore a brown leather vest and studded black boots.

Anna couldn’t see any other weapons on her other than the sword. _If she survived this long with just that, she must be pretty damn good at using it._ Anna thought.

“Who’s your friend?” Marley asked, coming up behind the woman, her gun trained on her back.

Anna opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of approaching vehicles cut her off. They all turned away from each other as they watched a silver truck and a hummer come into view through the trees.

All three darted for cover behind the same group of bushes. As Anna circled the bush, a blonde head of hair came into view and she slid to a halt beside it. The woman who belonged to said hair turned at her sudden appearance and her blue eyes went wide.

“Anna?”

Anna felt like her head was slowly filling with water as she stared back in unadulterated shock at Andrea sitting right in front of her. She looked pretty much the same as she always had, though her hair was slightly longer, and she looked sick – as if she’d come down with a really bad case of the flu.

The sound of the vehicles stopping a few yards away pulled their eyes away from each other as they watched a group of men exiting the trucks. Anna counted six, and they were all carrying. An AK with a scope, handguns, bats, and a bow and arrow.

“Fan out,” one man said, authority dripping in his voice. Anna pegged him for the leader. The man by his side raised his gun. “Save those rounds until you need ‘em.”

One of the men used his bow to fire an arrow into an approaching walker, and she watched as the man with a bat played baseball with two walkers’ heads.

“Got a breather!” Called the leader, standing at the helicopter. _Welles._ “Tim!” They pulled Welles from the chopper.

Anna grimaced, hoping they wouldn’t kill the man, and turned her head away for just a moment when she caught sight of two armless, jawless walkers chained to a tree.

_The fuck?_

Anna assumed they belonged to their newest companion. An unchained walker came into view and Anna tensed, reaching for her knife to take it out.

“No,” whispered Andrea, grabbing her hand, making Anna flinch. She watched as the walker strode right past them.

“Over here, Shumpert!” Anna winced as she turned back to the helicopter scene.

Shumpert, the man with the bow, shot down the walker, but didn’t seem to notice them crouched behind the bushes. Anna let out a sigh of relief.

“He’s saving him.” Andrea began, taking a deep, haggard breath as they watched the men lay Welles on the ground. “We should show ourselves.”

“Not yet,” hissed her friend.

They couldn’t quite see as the leader drove his knife into the head of a man – or walker – reaching out to him a few feet away from where they had laid Welles down.

The walkers chained to the tree began to get restless, their chains rattling as they shimmied where they stood, excited by the fresh meat so close by.

“Control your dogs,” Marley hissed.

Anna could see that they’d drawn the attention of the men, and panic began to rise in her chest. Then there was a _shing_ of a blade being unsheathed and the squelch of heads being lopped off. The samurai came back to kneel beside Andrea, her gleaming sword covered in walker blood, and the men turned away from them.

Then a twig snapped. Anna whirled around, gun aimed high at the man standing there.

He tsked at Anna, pointing his gun back at her.

“Easy does it,” he cooed in his gruff, southern drawl. “Now, put down your weapons,” he demanded in such a casual tone Anna wondered what made him feel so at ease.

She heard the others slowly set their weapons down, and reluctantly followed suit.

“That’s it. Nice and easy. And let me see your hands.” It was grinding on her nerves that he didn’t find any of them to be much of a threat. “Now, the rest of you, spin around. That’s it. Nice little twirl around.” Marley, Andrea and the samurai woman turned slowly, making no sudden movements.

“Oh, holy shit,” the man said, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of Andrea. “Blondie.” As he spoke, Anna could see a walker approaching behind him. “You’re looking… good,” he said, as he ran a blade through the walker’s jaw. Anna’s eyes widened as she realized the blade was attached to his arm.

The walker fell at his feet.

“Now, how’s about a big hug for your ol’ pal Merle.”

*

Andrea sat on the infirmary bed, an IV drip sticking out of her arm as Doctor Stevens checked her temperature with the samurai woman at her side. Marley sat in the chair across the room, her knee bouncing as she waited to hear about Welles. Anna leaned against the wall beside her staring at Andrea, still unable to believe she was really there.

“Have you seen the others since the farm?” Andrea asked. Anna shook her head, adjusting her position against the wall. “What about Anderson?”

Anna could feel Marley’s eyes on her, waiting for an answer.

“He was bitten while we were escaping the farm.” Anna explained, her voice clipped.

“I’m sorry.” Andrea averted her eyes. Anna knew she meant it, but the words held no meaning to her. It was all just useless padding to try and make themselves feel better.

Merle stepped through the door, one thumb hitched inside his front belt loop, his metal stump hanging by his side.

“Go check on your patient, Doc,” he said, shooing Stevens out of the room.

He looked between Anna and Marley, then to the Samurai before his eyes landed on Andrea.

“Bet you was wondering if I was real. Probably hoping I wasn’t,” he began. “Well, here I am.” He stood in the middle of the room, holding his arms out as if to present himself. “I guess this old world gets a little smaller toward the end, huh? Ain’t so many of us left to share the air, right?”

It hadn’t taken Anna long to put the pieces together, realizing who Merle was. Anna considered how different he was from his younger brother. Taller, louder - altogether irritating.

“You know, when they found me, I was near bled out. Starving. Thinking to myself a bullet might make a good last meal. Take myself a nice long nap after. Wait for Daryl on the other side.” He paused, tilting his head towards Andrea. “You see my brother?” He asked.

Andrea shook her head. “Not for a long time.”

“Makes two of us.” Merle sighed, leaning against a table lined up next to the door.

“He went back for you. Him and Rick. You were already gone,” Andrea explained. Anna remembered that day, the sound of Daryl’s whimper at the sight of his brothers severed hand.

“Well, not all of me.” Merle teased, holding up his metal arm. “Yeah, Rick. He's that prick that cuffed me to the rooftop.”

“Yeah.” Andrea grimaced. “He tried. Daryl saw that.”

Merle chuckled. “He's always been the sweet one, my baby brother.”

Anna felt her heart clench uncomfortably in her chest and she adjusted her position again. The room was getting tight with seven people standing in it. She’d stationed herself with a clear view of the room, able to see the two armed men standing at the door as well as everyone else in the room.

“He wanted to keep looking, but things happened, people died. A lot of them,” Andrea explained. “Jim, Dale, Jacqui, Sophia… Amy.” With every name, Anna winced; remembering the way Jim had looked so small against the tree as they drove away, the way Jacqui had smiled as they left her behind in the CDC, the way Sophia stepped out of that barn, the way Dale’s blood and guts felt in her hands as she tried to push them back into his open stomach.

“Your sister?” Merle’s question cut through her memories. Anna took a shuddering breath that did not go unnoticed by the others.

“Yes,” Andrea whispered.

“She was a good kid. I'm sorry to hear it,” Merle expressed.

Andrea continued. “There were more. A lot more. We had to leave Atlanta. We wound up on a farm. And Daryl stepped up. Became a valued member of the group. Got himself a girlfriend.” Andrea looked to Anna at the end of her sentence. Merle caught this and turned to Anna.

“You? You knew my brother?” He asked, incredulous.

Anna adjusted her stance again, looking away from the all too familiar blue eyes.

“Yeah,” she muttered.

Merle hummed. “Now he’s dead.”

Anna’s jaw clenched. _Yeah, I have that effect on people, she_ thought bitterly.

“We don’t know that for sure. We got run off by a herd.” Andrea said.

“How long ago?” Merle asked.

“Seven, eight months?” Andrea replied, looking to the samurai for confirmation.

“219 days since the farm,” Anna clarified.

The room looked to her with expressions of disbelief. Everyone except Marley, who was used to the way Anna counted days. It had been a habit she’d formed not long after escaping the farm. A way to cope, and to remind herself that she was still alive.

“I was – _we_ were— Andrea corrected, gesturing to Anna. “—separated from the rest of them. Got left behind.”

“And so you survived the winter together, the four of you?” Merle asked, smirking. “Snugglin’ up, keepin’ warm.”

“What do you want from us?” Andrea asked.

“Damn,” Merle drawled. “There she sits, four walls around her, roof over her head, medicine in her veins, and she wants to know what I want from her.” He walked up to Andrea, tilting his head to the side as he approached. “I plucked you four out of the dirt, blondie. Saved your asses. How ‘bout a thank you?”

“You had a gun on us.” The samurai scowled.

“Oh, she speaks.” Merle grinned. “Who ain’t had a gun on ‘em in the past year, huh? Show of hands, y’all. Anybody?” He hummed as he turned to his buddies by the door. “Shumpert, Crowley? Y’all had a gun on y’all? Hell, I think I’d piss my pants if some stranger come walkin’ up with his mitts in his pockets.” Merle looked to Anna. “That’d be the son of a bitch you’d really want to be scared of.”

“Thank you,” Andrea said quickly, eager to get him to stop talking. Anna was grateful when he turned his heavy gaze back to Andrea. She hated to see those eyes. They were just like Daryl’s.

Their attention was drawn to the opening of a door as the leader of Merle’s group stepped out of the room where they were holding Welles.

“Can we see him?” Marley immediately asked, standing from the chair where she’d been silent.

The man shook his head. “He’s resting right now. You can talk to him in the morning,” he explained before turning to whisper something inaudible to Merle.

Merle nodded his head and walked from the room, leveling Anna with an unreadable look as he passed her. She stared back at him until he disappeared through the open door.

“How are you feeling?” The man asked.

“We want our weapons,” the samurai hissed, stepping up to the leader whose name they still hadn’t gotten. Anna was starting to get a little irritated not knowing so many names.

The man nodded. “Sure. On your way out the front gates.”

“Show us the way,” Andrea said, standing from the infirmary bed. “You’ve kept us locked up in this room.”

“You see any bars on the windows? You’re being cared for.”

“Under guard,” Marley pointed out, glaring at the two men still standing by the door.

“To protect our people. We don't know you.” The man explained, stepping around Andrea and the samurai.

“We know enough about you to want out of this place. We watched you drive a knife into the skulls of two dead men. What the hell was that all about?” Andrea demanded.

The man turned back to her, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“They turned.”

“They weren't bitten,” the samurai stated firmly.

Anna turned to her. It slowly dawned on her that they didn’t already know the truth about the infection. Just as Anderson hadn’t.

“Doesn’t matter,” the man began. “However, we die, we all turn. I put them out of their misery. It's not easy news to swallow at first, but there it is.” He turned away again and strode out of the room. Andrea and the samurai followed. “You're not prisoners here, you're guests. But if you wanna leave, as I said, you're free to do so.” The rest of his words faded as Anna and Marley stood in the room.

“Marley?” Anna called quietly, unsure of what her friend was thinking in that moment.

“We should catch up to them. We’ll see Welles in the morning,” Marley stated flatly as she walked out of the room, Anna following close behind.

*

“Are you military?” Andrea asked as they approached. Anna was astonished at how clean the street looked.

“Hardly. Couple of vets,” the man began, “but by and large we’re self-trained.”

Anna didn’t know what to make of the solid wall of vehicles and sheets of metal that stretched from one side of the wide street to the other except, _that looks damn secure._

“That’s heavy artillery they’re packing,” Marley commented casually. Anna looked to the weapons in the hands of the largely civilian men atop the wall. And then she saw Merle with an AK balanced on his metal arm.

“Some men arrive with guns, but most of the weapons are scavenged over time,” the man explained.

“And the other side of town?” Marley asked. “The rest of the streets? They’re all guarded like this?”

“It can’t be,” Andrea murmured.

“It can, and it is,” the man said. Anna could just barely make out the pride in his voice.

“Got us a creeper, Governor,” Merle called.

“Governor? They call you that?” Andrea asked, raising a critical brow as she stumbled over to the gate to peer through the crack.

“Some nicknames stick whether you want them to or not,” the ‘Governor’ said.

“Buzz is a nickname,” Andrea replied. “Governor is a title. There’s a difference.”

“Got him!” Merle cheered. “Clear.”

The Governor ignored Andrea as he called out his orders to leave the walkers for the morning.

“Can’t leave them to rot. Creates an odor,” he explained. “Makes people uneasy.”

“What people?” Andrea asked, looking around the empty streets. “There’s nobody here. It’s a ghost town.”

Anna had to agree, but she could feel that there was something more to this place than what they were seeing.

“This way,” The Governor replied, a small smile spreading across his face as he gestured for the four women to follow him.

He led them into a brick building and up three flights of stairs, where he walked them into a one room apartment-styled space. There was a single queen-sized bed and a couch a few feet away with a circular shower set up in the far corner.

“You’ll be more comfortable here. Not the Four Seasons, but there’s a hot shower,” he said, pointing out said shower. “Water’s limited, so keep it short. We’ve got food, water, fresh clothes. I’m sorry we couldn’t prepare another room, but I hope this works for you ladies.” He turned to them just as he got to the door. “I know you’d feel better with your weapons, more secure, but you’re safe here.”

“We appreciate it,” Andrea said with a smile as she took in the small, comfortable room.

“What about Welles?” Anna asked. “Will he make it?”

The Governor looked to her, his dark eyes unreadable.

“Dr. Stevens is doing all she can. Now, I know you’ve got a lot more questions, but I got work to do. My man, Shumpert, will be outside the door if you need anything else,” he assured, stepping backwards through the threshold. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, he was gone.

The samurai irritably shut the door on Shumpert and turned back to the room. Anna could feel the woman’s hard, calculating stare on her and Marley. She wondered what the woman saw when she looked at them.

“I guess there should be introductions,” Andrea said, breaking the tense silence.


	5. Chapter Four

After all four women had taken quick showers, they had changed into the fresh clothes offered to them. The new clothing was such a welcome change to the fatigues Anna had worn for the majority of her time at the compound that Anna almost felt like her old self. Almost.

Andrea was the only one who had managed to sleep at all that night. Marley had pretended to sleep, sprawled out on the couch, while Anna and Michonne sat at the small dining table in silence, alternating between watching the door, watching their companions, and watching each other.

Not long after the sun began to shine through the red curtains, a pretty black-haired woman in a gray dress and knee-high boots knocked on their door, a clipboard in her hands.

“The Governor wants to speak with you.”  she had said. The four women stood, ready to find out what he wanted. “Just you two,” she clarified, pointing out Anna and Marley.

And so, the two friends found themselves sitting at the dining table of a nicely furnished apartment, larger than their own.

“He gets this huge place to himself and we get one bed for four women?” Marley hissed to Anna, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Your arrangements are only temporary.” The two jumped in their seats, Anna stood and turning towards the noise so quickly she knocked her chair on its side. “It’s alright, have a seat,” The Governor said, holding out his hands to show they were empty.

“So, what do you want from us?” Marley asked, as she watched the Governor walk around them to take a seat at the dining table. Anna watched him until he sat down, and then turned to right her chair when her eyes landed on a pair of boots. She followed them up, finding that they belonged to Merle Dixon.

Anna clenched her jaw as he bent down to grab the chair from her, setting it straight and gesturing for her to sit. She did, and then scooted the chair closer to the table as Merle sat down across from her, beside the Governor.

Anna kept her eyes trained on the Governor as he spoke.

“Your friend, Welles… he didn’t make it.”

She could feel Merle’s eyes on her and, rather than fidget under his heavy gaze, she carefully reached down and pinched her right thigh.

“Now, before he passed, he asked about others. Would that be you two?”

Anna didn’t respond, waiting for Marley to take the lead – she didn’t know if they were supposed to lie.

“Not just us. There were more,” Marley stated. “We were scavenging for supplies and got separated from the rest of our group.” Anna noticed the way Marley’s jaw ticked, and how she flexed her fingers in her lap. She wasn’t exactly lying to the Governor, but she was certainly hiding the truth.

The Governor nodded along. “We can bring them back here, let you all rest up – you’re welcome to stay beyond that, of course.”

“I don’t think we can cram more people into that little room,” Anna muttered. Merle barked in laughter.

“You’d get your own space – we weren’t exactly prepared for visitors,” The Governor said with a calm smile. “Just tell me where they are, and we’ll go get them.” He leveled Anna with a steady gaze, waiting for her to answer. Her tongue suddenly felt like sandpaper in her mouth.

“The highway,” Marley chimed in, drawing the Governor’s attention back to her. “By that traffic jam on 85.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. “That’s where we were supposed to meet them if we ever got separated.”

“Thank you.” The Governor gave them a warm smile before rising

Marley stood. “We want to come with you.”

“That won’t be necessary.” The Governor spoke over his shoulder as he left the apartment, leaving no room for discussion. Marley wasn’t having it, briskly following behind him to argue, leaving Anna and Merle alone.

Anna sighed heavily, staring at the pattern of the wood table between them.

“You always this talkative?” Merle asked through the tense silence. Anna shrugged, picking at a bit of loose thread on her jeans. “So,” he began, looking her up and down. “How the Hell did my baby brother land a chick like you?”

Anna worked her jaw and adjusted her position under his appraising gaze. He hummed as he leaned forward. God, she hated those eyes. They were unwavering, just like Daryl’s, and the thought of him made her chest ache.

“Why you so fidgety?”  He asked.

“Why do you stare so much?” She snapped.

Merle merely chuckled as he stood from his chair. He circled her, tilting his head this way and that to get a good look at her. She found herself wondering what he saw as she sat very still, her only movement the steady rise and fall of her chest. She didn’t dare blink, afraid that she may lose track of him.

Quicker than she could think, Merle was in her face, a hand and metal stump braced against the arms of the chair, trapping her in her seat. Her heart raced in her chest. She could hear her blood pumping. Her body was telling her to either fight or run. But she couldn’t move. Her fingers twitched in her lap. She could feel a tremor run through her whole body, but it was as though she wasn’t even in her body anymore.

_182 days, Anna_ thought as she stared into Merle’s eyes. She could vaguely see that he was speaking, but the words sounded like she was underwater. _182 days since they had me,_ she reminded herself.

Her fingers found her right thigh and she pinched down as hard as she could.

“I’ve seen that look before,” Merle sighed, stepping away from her. She slowly registered the words and released her thigh. “Was it those soldiers?” He asked, pacing away from her. She couldn’t see his face, but she could see the rigid line of his shoulders as he ran his hand over his jaw.

“No,” She breathed. She scrambled out of her chair, unwilling to stay in it a moment longer.

“Daryl know?”

Anna shook her head, but remembered he wasn’t looking at her. “It was after we were separated,” she whispered. “The men who… they’re dead,” she explained, more of a reassurance to herself than a clarification for Merle.

“You should probably go catch up with your pal - what was her name? Marley?” Merle said, finally turning to her and gesturing to the door with his metal stump. He didn’t look at her. For once, she wished he would.

She took a deep breath and left without a glance back. But she could feel his eyes on her as she disappeared around the threshold.

*

Marley and Anna paced the length of the front wall. It had been a handful of hours since the Woodbury men left to retrieve the other soldiers, and they were due back soon.

“We should have gone with them,” Marley hissed, glaring past the sun to see the men on the gate platform.

“There’s no use arguing over it now,” Anna sighed.

Anna couldn’t deny the suspicious feeling she had – it was only logical to bring her and Marley. But what made Anna most uneasy was the amount of men who had gone with the Governor. At least six men had gone, including Merle, who had refused to look at her as they all loaded into their vehicles and drove away to find their companions.

“They’re back!” Called a young woman standing at the spotlight, holding a compound bow in her hands.

Anna and Marley stepped off to the side as the gate opened and the various vehicles came roaring through, including the ones belonging to the search party. Anna felt a bit of relief at the sight of the military vehicles. _How do we tell them about Val?_ She asked herself. And then her heart dropped. Merle jumped out of the Humvee’s driver's seat. She cast her eyes about for the familiar fatigues.

“Where are they?” Marley demanded, storming up to the Governor. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before climbing up to the roof of the Humvee as a crowd gathered.

“We brought in five new people yesterday,” he began. “Three were with the National Guard,” he said, gesturing to Anna and Marley. “They trusted us to bring back their people alive. But they didn’t have our walls or our fences.” Anna’s jaw clenched painfully. “Biters got there before we did.

“Now, the men had trucks, the trucks had weapons, food, medicine, things we need. Now, we didn’t know them,” The Governor said, looking to Anna and Marley as he spoke. “But we’ll honor their sacrifice by not taking what we have here for granted.” He turned back to his people. “Won't be long before dark, so go on home. Be thankful for what you have.” He bowed his head for a moment as if to pray.  “Watch out for each other.”

*

Anna and Marley had been moved to another room similarly decorated as the one they had shared with Michonne and Andrea, only with more blue tones. Anna was staring out the window as the townspeople slowly trickled from the streets into their dwellings.

“We should have gone with them,” Marley groaned from the bed set against the brick wall.

Anna adjusted her position on the couch so that her back was now to the windows and she was looking to Marley.

“We should probably leave tomorrow,” Anna said, leveling Marley with a neutral gaze, “Go back to Fort Benning.”

Marley shook her head. “No. I don’t believe biters got them. We need to figure out what really happened,” she snapped.

Anna sighed and dropped her head, listening to her shoulders pop as she stretched.

“So, what, you think they killed Conner and the others? In cold blood?” Truth be told, Anna thought the same thing. But, what could the two of them do against a small army?

“You don’t?” Marley countered.

Anna shook her head, covering her face with her clasped hands. “It’s not that I think they didn’t, Marley. But you have to remember it’s just the two of us.”

“There’s Michonne and your buddy Andrea.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call Andrea a _buddy,”_ Anna muttered looking to the door to the hallway. Just on the other side of that hall Andrea and Michonne were probably having a less heated discussion.

Marley scoffed. “We can’t go back with just a suspicion. We have to be sure. And if the Governor did have them killed, we can’t lead him and his men back to the rest of the group.”

“What would the others even do? Attack?”

Marley took a moment longer to respond than Anna was comfortable with, and she saw the way her jaw clenched and the flex of her fingers at her side.

“I don’t know. But we can’t just do nothing.”

“Fine, we stay. But, if anything else suspicious happens, we’re out of here,” Anna grumbled.

“We’ll need help – you think your friends will be up for it?” Marley asked.

“Andrea’s not my friend, and I don’t know Michonne. But it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

*

“You want to what?” Andrea scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m in,” Michonne said flatly from her seat on the couch as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Marley raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t take much to convince you.”

Michonne shrugged. “I don’t trust him either.”

“You’re all ridiculous,” Andrea groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration. “There’s no evidence that they did what all of you are claiming they did.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “That’s why we want to investigate. To find evidence.” She leveled Andrea with an earnest gaze. “Something just feels off about this entire place.”

“So, how do we do this?” Marley asked, taking a seat at the dining table.

“We could look around in the Governor's room,” Michonne suggested. Anna was beginning to like this woman.   She had good ideas.

“We’ll need a distraction,” Anna agreed, nodding her head as she leaned her back against the wall. The three of them turned to look at Andrea.

“No. No way.” She shook her head. “I won’t be a part of it.”

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose. _Figures._

“Fine. We’ll just have to be careful. I’ll search his room on my own. Marley, you find the Governor and keep him occupied.” Marley nodded her assent.

“Where does that leave me?” Michonne asked, leaning forward.

“The vehicles,” Marley chimed in. “There may be clues in the vehicles they took from our guys.”

“You’re all insane.”

“But I trust you won’t tell anyone?” Marley asked carefully, glancing sidelong at Andrea.

Andrea looked toward the door, as if she could see past it, to the street beyond. She turned back to them, her hand on her forehead.

“Of course, I won’t.”


	6. Chapter Five

The next day found the three women standing on the street just as the sun began to peek over the horizon. They exchanged steady gazes before Michonne set off to where she had last seen the vehicles. Marley took a deep breath before she took off at an easy pace down the street in the opposite direction to search for the Governor. Anna stood still a moment longer, steadying her breathing as she focused on her surroundings.

She’d be a fool if she believed they weren’t being watched. It was why she had suggested she and Marley split up. Anna grimaced before she stepped off the sidewalk, the old habit of looking both ways bringing a bitter smile to her face. She made her way down the street in the direction she knew the Governor’s apartment to be.

They had planned for every possibility, each woman prepared to distract the Governor or whomever was assigned to babysit them. Her skin crawled at the thought of being watched, and she hoped that whomever was watching them followed Marley.

As quietly as she could, Anna slipped through the front door and up the stairs of the Governor’s apartment building. Once she made it to the top floor, she paused in front of the door.

She knocked three times and waited for a response. There was nothing. She placed her ear to the hardwood and listened. No movement. She tried the door knob and it easily turned in her hand. She stepped inside and looked around the apartment as she shut the door behind her with a soft click.

The room was the same as she’d remembered it, fully furnished and meticulously clean. Her eyes immediately fell on Michonne’s sword in a display case along with her, Marley and Andrea’s guns.

Anna approached the display case, careful not to hit any creaky boards, and placed her fingers on the brown leather and white scabbard. She ran her fingers along its smooth surface.

“It’s somethin’ ain’t it.” Anna jumped, grabbing hold of the first gun in the row along with its corresponding clip. As easy as breathing, Anna slid the clip into place and leveled the gun on Merle.

He held his hand and metal stump up in surrender.

“You and me have got to stop meeting like this.” Anna’s finger twitched over the trigger before she lowered the gun. Merle dropped his arms and tilted his head. “You know that was empty, right?”  He asked, a small smirk on his lips.

Anna took out the clip and replaced both it and the gun on the display case. As she did so, she noticed the distinct lack of bullets. She pursed her lips before arranging her face into a neutral expression and turning back to Merle.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

Merle shook a finger at her. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He countered as he leaned against the dining table and crossed his arms over his chest. “I wouldn’t be snoopin’ if I was you.”

“Did you kill the other soldiers?” She asked flatly. She leveled Merle with a steady gaze, almost daring him to lie to her.

“Damn girl!” He laughed. “Straight to the point. I can see why Daryl would like you.”

She winced, and Merle noticed. He stepped towards her, taking a loose strand of her hair between his fingers. She felt her heart rate quicken. She reached down and pinched her thigh, willing herself to remain calm. _Just stay calm._

“Did you kill them?”

She saw his jaw flex, but his smile remained. “How ‘bout you decide that for yourself.”

Anna clenched her fists as she watched him leave. She tsked at herself and glared at the wall across from her, where her eyes landed on a door.

She crossed the room quickly and tried the door knob. Locked. She cast her eyes about for signs of a key.

“Governor!”

Anna flinched and made her way to the window. She peeked past the curtains. There, on the street in front of the apartment building, was the Governor speaking with Merle.

“Shit,” Anna hissed. She checked over the apartment, making sure nothing was out of place. Seeing nothing of concern, she slipped out the door, shut it carefully, and made her way down the stairs.

The Governor’s back was turned to the front doors, his focus on Merle. She opened the door just wide enough for her to squeeze through and slinked off down the street. She refused to turn back as she felt eyes on her, just barely catching the end of their conversation. She had to hope that Merle hadn’t sold her out.

Once she got to the apartment building where she and the others had been allowed to reside during their stay at Woodbury, Anna jogged up the three flights of steps to their floor, taking long steady breaths to keep the ache out of her lungs.

Just as she reached out to open her door, it swung away from her. Anna took a quick step back, her muscles tensing.

“There you are.”

*

Anna and Andrea sat at the small dining table in Anna’s apartment room, sipping from their glasses of water. Andrea described everything she’d been through since the farm, how Michonne had saved her, how they traveled together until she got sick and had to hunker down in a deer cooler, how she’d learned to coexist with the two walkers Michonne had kept like pets.

After finishing her tale, she waited for Anna to speak – but Anna wasn’t inclined to do so.

“Look…” Andrea trailed off, pursing her lips. “I know you and I weren’t exactly friends.” Anna held back a scoff. _Understatement of the year,_ she thought. “But, I’m glad you’re okay.”

For whatever reason that she couldn’t quite fathom, she began to laugh. She laughed until her stomach hurt, until there were tears rolling down her cheeks, until she thought her mouth would be stuck in the form of a smile.

There was no joy in her laughter, just bitterness. By the time her laughter had died out, Andrea seemed thoroughly confused, her brows knitted together and her lips in a thin line.

“What happened to you?” Andrea asked, her voice strained.

Anna stared at the floorboards, the smile fading from her face. She wiped away at the cool tears on her cheeks. She could feel the words forming in her mouth, like a bubble, or vomit. Not for the first time did Anna wonder what the use of talking would be. Talking about what happened wouldn’t change any of it. What would she even say?

“Anderson - you said he was bitten,” Andrea started. Anna nodded. “That must have been hard.” Anna kept her eyes trained on a small spider crawling along the floor, peaking in and out of the cracks between the boards as it traveled along. “How did you survive after that?” Andrea asked.

“Randall,” Anna whispered. Andrea blinked at her, opening and closing her mouth. “His group… they found me.” She winced at the way her voice cracked. “I was with them for 37 days.”

“You kept count?”

“It helped.” Anna pulled her hands into her lap, cracking her knuckles. Andrea stretched her hand across the small table, as if Anna’s hands were still within reach.

“Helped with what?” She gently pushed.

Anna shook her head and shut her eyes.

_Anna stared at the wall just behind the Colonel’s head, feeling the hot prick of tears behind her lids and the lump in her throat._

_“How long were you with those men?” The Colonel asked. He’d strode into the room with his head held high and a grim look on his face, all six foot and authoritative. He scared Anna. Terrified her, really. But he was nothing like the men of Randall’s group._

_“37 days,” Anna managed to choke out. Her voice was rough and sore. She sniffled and wiped at the snot dripping from her nose. She always hated being sick._

_“While you were with them, did you see where they got their supplies?”_

_Anna shook her head. She hadn’t seen much of anything while she was with them._

_“They kept me blindfolded.”_

_“For 37 days?” He asked skeptically._

_“They took it off sometimes,” Anna whispered. She looked down to her shaking hands resting in her lap._

_“What did they do to you?” The Colonel pushed, his icy eyes steady on her face. Anna shook her head, breathing in deeply as she tried to muster the right words. “Well?” She could feel his eyes on her waiting, assessing. It made her skin crawl._

_It started out as a whisper, her lips barely moving. The Colonel leaned forward, and she felt her body heat and tremble. He was too close, and the room was too small, and her heart felt crushed within her chest. Anna reached down and pinched her thigh, her fingernails digging into her skin._

_“They raped me,” she breathed. “Over and over and over.” The words spilled from her mouth like acid._

“God, Anna, I’m so sorry,” Andrea choked. Anna saw the tears in Andrea’s eyes and grimaced. “How did you get out of there?”

“Marley’s group came rolling through. Those… men weren’t looking to trade, and it ended in a fight. I managed to make a run for it, and one of the soldiers – Val – found me drowning in a pool.” Anna chuckled darkly. She’d wanted so badly for that walker to take her out – for it all to be over.

“Fuck,” Anna groaned, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes as she leaned forward, elbows propped up on her knees. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I can’t even talk to Marley about any of it.”

Andrea sighed, giving Anna a small smile as they looked to each other.

“Because,” the blonde began, “you decided a long time ago that my opinion didn’t matter.” Anna gave the woman a tight-lipped smile. “But,” Andrea continued, “I still have ears.”

Anna sat up in her chair, leveling Andrea with an earnest look. She could see her logic. The two had practically been at each other's throats after Andrea had accidentally shot Daryl.

“I really am sorry for breaking your nose.”

“Knock, knock.” Marley’s voice rang out as she and Michonne filed into the apartment. “How did it go?” She asked as she reclined on the bed. It was too casual, her face just a little too composed.

_She heard._

“There were bullet holes in the vehicles. Like they’d been shot at,” Michonne explained.

“That’s enough proof for me.” Marley nodded, placing her hands behind her head.

Andrea rolled her eyes. “It could have been bandits or—”

“If they could take down bandits, don’t you think they’d have an easy time with walkers?” Anna countered. Andrea clamped her mouth shut, an odd look coming over her face when she turned back to Anna. Anna grimaced at the way the woman stared at her.

“What about you?” Marley asked, calling everyone’s attention to her.

Anna looked to her friend.  “I found a locked door.”

“You didn’t open it?” Marley pushed.

Anna narrowed her eyes. “Couldn’t find the key, and I don’t know how to pick locks.”

“You should probably learn how to, then.”

Anna watched Marley’s face carefully, the slightest flair of her nostrils, the stiffness of her lips and smallest crease between her brow. _Yeah. She definitely heard._

Anna’s heart tightened in her chest, her palms suddenly moist as she wiped them on her jeans.

“Can you give Marley and I moment alone, please?”

She could see Andrea shoot a worried look at Michonne as she rose from her seat. The door shut behind them with a soft click that stretched through the silence of the room. Marley stared at the ceiling, avoiding Anna’s steady gaze.

“You’re angry,” Anna stated after a long pause. She watched Marley work her jaw and flex her fingers.

“I’m not angry.”

“You’ve got that look on your face.” Marley’s eyes fell to Anna.

“So, she’s not your friend, huh?”

Anna looked away, swallowing hard.

“I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I’m your best friend, Anna – supposed to be anyway.” Marley said.

“What’s that supposed to mean? We’re not best friends anymore? You didn’t tell me you were in love with Val.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“You were raped, Anna. I could have… I don’t know. I could’ve help—”

“Nothing. There’s nothing you could’ve done except feel sorry for me,” Anna snapped. She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. “I don’t want pity.”

“This is what I meant about you not giving me the chance to know you. I should’ve been there for you. It isn’t about pity.”

“I know,” Anna whispered. She leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees, holding her face in her hands. “I just couldn’t.” She said between her fingers. “I tried a few times, but I couldn’t. And I’m sorry.”

Marley stood from the bed and took the two steps over to where Anna sat. She knelt in front of Anna and slowly wrapped her arms around her. Anna forced herself not to flinch away.

“I’m sorry, too. It just hurts when you push me away.”

Anna leaned into the hug, winding her arms around Marley.

_I know. I’m a horrible friend._


	7. Chapter Six

The next day found Anna pleasantly surprised when the Governor decided a celebration was in order for the residents of Woodbury. Tables and grills were set up in the streets, and the generators were run all day to cool drinks in refrigerators. People were at ease. Except for Michonne and Marley, it seemed.

“We leave tonight,” Marley stated, shoving a rolled pair of jeans into a black backpack. “We’ll slip out the back while everyone’s distracted by whatever ‘surprise’ they’ve got planned.”

Anna lounged on the couch, sipping at the gloriously cold glass of water.

“You aren’t curious what this surprise is?” Anna didn’t find herself caring either way as she pressed the glass against her forehead, the condensation sticking to her skin.

“Don’t tell me you want to stay,” Marley groaned giving Anna a sidelong look.

Anna let her head drop back and closed her eyes. “Of course not – but, we can’t give the Governor reason to suspect anything is wrong.”

“That’s why we’re leaving while they’re distracted.”

Anna peeked at Marley through her eyelashes before closing her eyes again.

“What would you think if a couple of people just disappeared with no explanation after you killed their friends?”

Marley only heaved a sigh in response. Anna smirked lightly in triumph before she had a thought. The smile dropped from her face and she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling.

“Do you think Welles told the Governor about the others?”

Marley took a moment before she finally spoke. “I don’t know.”

Anna sighed. _Of course this can’t be simple._

“We should find out,” she said. “And we should probably participate in the party – don’t want him to think we’re plotting anything.”

Anna’s mind wandered to Merle, and how he had found her snooping through the Governor’s apartment. There had been no ramifications for her sneaking around, so she had to assume Merle hadn’t turned her in.

Of course they would be more closely watched after she was caught – she’d noticed the way Merle always seemed to be around unless she was in her own quarters, and even then, she would sometimes see him lingering on the street in front of the building smoking a cigarette.

“You’re right.” Marley nodded and tossed her filled backpack under the bed. “We’ll find out what the Governor knows.”

*

Outside, the sun was beating down on the party. No one seemed to mind as they conversed and laughed with each other – as if the world hadn’t ended. All of Woodbury almost seemed untouched by the spread of the infection. It put Anna on edge. It was like waiting for the other foot to drop, and she didn’t understand how these people could be so carefree.

“Well, ain’t you just the life of the party!” Anna watched as Merle sauntered up to her, a lazy smirk on his face. “What’s the matter sweetheart?  You got that look like you stepped in dog shit.” He stopped a couple feet away from her and hooked his thumb into his front belt loop.

“Charming,” Anna said flatly as she crossed her arms over her chest. She dug the toe of her boot in the asphalt. “Are you guys sure this is a necessary use of resources?” She asked.

“Now you’re sounding like Milton,” Merle groaned. “You need to lighten up.”

Milton was the Governor’s friend as far as Anna knew. She wasn’t quite sure what he contributed to the town. He was a squirrely little man with glasses, and eyes that always seemed to be looking at his next project. It reminded Anna of too many sour memories, so she avoided him as much as possible.

“Sorry if I don’t feel like celebrating, I just lost quite a few good men recently,” Anna quipped as she watched a little girl playing with a dog. She could see out of the corner of her eye as Merle grimaced.

“Yeah, well – who ain’t lost people recently.” Anna watched Merle carefully as he moved to stand beside her to look out over the gathering as they congregated around the Governor.

“All right!” The Governor called. “Hey. First time we gathered, there was nine of us holed up in an apartment with spam and saltine crackers.” He chuckled. “Well, look at us now. We’ve built a place we can call home. May be held together with duct tape and string, but it works.” He looked around at the faces in front of him. “It’s ours. I’ll take it. So, today we celebrate how far we’ve come. We remember those we’ve lost. We raise a glass to us.” The crowd raised their glasses, cheering and clapping to the Governor’s speech. The crowd dispersed, and the Governor made his way over to Milton.

Anna cast her eyes about for Marley, who she found was standing off to the side of the crowd with her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at the grass at her feet. Anna could still see the pain lingering in the woman’s eyes from the loss of Val – she didn’t blame Marley for still grieving, no matter how warped time seemed to be in this new reality. There was no time limit on grief.

“Well, little lady – the Governor is callin’ me.” Merle sighed, running his hand over his head.

“Off to see what Master wants?” She asked, an unwarranted lightness to her tone. She turned her eyes on Merle, his face grim before he flashed her a bitter smile and sauntered off.

“You enjoy the party.” He called. Anna stared after him, watched him approach the Governor and Milton.

“What did he have to say?” Marley asked as she came up to stand beside Anna. Marley didn’t bother hiding the scowl she was shooting the Governor and Merle as they made their way down the street towards the Governor’s apartment.

Anna pressed her hand between Marley’s shoulder blades and forced the woman to walk with her to the grills.

“Said to enjoy the party – and that’s what we’re going to do.”

“I can’t enjoy being around a bunch of murderers,” Marley hissed.

Anna rolled her eyes. “Most of these people are civilians, Marley – remember that. Besides, we don’t want anyone thinking that something is wrong.” Anna flashed a half-hearted smile to a passing man – a Woodbury soldier she heard Merle call Martinez once, along with a slew of other names.

“I know,” Marley groaned. “Have you found anything interesting?”

Anna shook her head as she accepted two plates, each with a burger and a handful of chips. The two made their way over to the sidewalk, where they sat away from the other Woodbury residents.

“We need to talk to the Governor then,” Marley stated, nodding to herself with a look of grim determination on her face.

*

The sun was beginning its slow descent through the sky when Anna and Marley saw Michonne and Andrea striding down the street, bags packed and Michonne’s sword in possession. Marley jogged up to the two, Anna following close behind.

“Where are you going?” Marley asked, slowing to match Michonne’s pace so that she was walking beside her.

“We’re leaving,” Michonne bit out.

“Michonne, please – this is crazy,” Andrea pleaded.

Anna saw movement in the corner of her eye as Merle jumped up from his chair.

“Hey, hey, hey, girls.” He called, stepping in front of them. “Where y’all off to in such a hurry?” He asked, placing his hand and metal stump on his hips. Michonne went to walk around him, but he simply slid back into her path. “Hey, come on, now. Come on. Y’all are breaking my heart running away like that.”

“We’re leaving,” Michonne sneered.

Merle shook his head. “It’s almost curfew. I’d have to arrange an escort. I mean, the party’s still going on!” He gestured to the people still gathered in the streets. It didn’t faze Michonne. “Alright,” he sighed. “Wait here a second.” He turned to the gates where Martinez stood at the top holding his rifle. “Brownie!” Merle called. “Come here. Listen up, bro.”

Andrea stormed up to him, irritation clear on her face.

“The Governor told us we were free to come and go whenever we liked.”

Merle turned to her, leveling her with a steady, warning stare. “Sweetheart, nothing personal here, but you’re gonna have to step back.”

Anna clenched her jaw, glaring at the back of his head.

“See? There’s always a reason why we can’t leave yet,” Michonne hissed.

“Clear.” Martinez called from the top of the gate.

“Now if I was y’all, I’d find some shelter before nightfall,” Merle advised as he pulled the gate open.

Michonne shook her head at the look Andrea was giving her. “They knew we were coming. This was all for show.”

A part of Anna agreed with Michonne as she looked between her, Marley and Andrea. There was something more to all of Merle’s bravado. Another part of her wanted to believe in Merle, that he was as good of a person as Daryl, that he wasn’t lying to them.

“Do you hear yourself? How can you know that?” Andrea guffawed. “And why would they bother?”

“Ladies,” Merle called. Anna let her eyes fall on him. He stared back at her, his face light and unconcerned. “Close the gates,” he demanded when no one moved.

“No,” Michonne snapped stepping toward the gates.

Andrea grabbed hold of her arm to try and stop her.

“I practically begged the Governor to let you stay.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

Anna continued to watch Merle as Andrea and Michonne had their back and forth, Andrea begging Michonne to stay and Michonne begging Andrea to leave. Merle very carefully shook his head no. Something in her gut turned at the simple gesture. She tore her eyes away from Merle and looked back to Marley.

“You’d just slow me down anyway,” Michonne sneered as she ripped her arm away from Andrea and stormed through the gates.

“Michonne!” Andrea called after her as Merle shut the gate.

*

The sun had set, and the stars were clear in the sky as people gathered and began to climb up into the bleachers, the younger citizens heading off to bed. Anna had tried to locate the Governor, but she found him to be quite the illusive target. In truth, she had no idea how she would have even gotten the information she needed without revealing everything, and so was glad that she was unable to find him.

Instead, she made her way to the bleachers, hoping to find Marley, so that they could decide what their next move was. In the darkness, Anna could see movement, but couldn’t quite make out what she was seeing.

“This must be the surprise,” Marley muttered, taking a seat beside Anna on the bleachers. “God, this reminds me of high school – is this some sort of pep-rally?”

Anna strained her eyes to see through the dark, craning her neck uncomfortably to see over heads. She could hardly think with all the cheering and laughter echoing around her. _They shouldn’t be so loud, she_ thought. Her chest panged painfully, fear bubbling to the surface.

“Did you manage to find the Governor?” Marley asked. Anna shook her head. “Yeah, me neither.”

Flood lights erupted, illuminating what looked like an arena and music began to blare. The cacophony of sound was jarring to say the absolute least. Anna’s heart pounded against her rib-cage. The crowd jumped to their feet, cheering ever louder.

Anna remained seated as Marley stood along with the others. The sound of her blood pumping through her veins echoed in her ears, nearly obscuring the word the others were chanting.

“Merle! Merle! Merle! Merle!”

“Anna!” Marley called from where she stood, staring astonished at whatever she saw.

Anna felt bile rise in her throat, her stomach twisting into knots and she stood, forcing her way past Marley and a few nameless persons in their row on the bleachers. She jumped down to the ground, stumbling a little. She bent at the waist, clutching her stomach, ready to throw up all over the pavement.  Then Merle jogged past her, waving to his audience.

She stared in horror as Merle and Martinez circled each other in the arena surrounded by walkers chained to cement in the ground.

Merle pointed to a grinning Martinez before dropping to the ground to do one-armed pushups. Anna didn’t bother counting how many he did before he got to his feet, and the two men faced each other. A whistle sounded, and Merle lunged for the first hit. Back and forth the two hit and kicked each other, falling dangerously close to the reaching arms of the hungry walkers.

The walker’s chains were loosened, the circle growing smaller after Martinez landed a kick to Merle’s face. Merle gained the upper hand, knocking Martinez to the ground.

Anna looked away, unable to watch anymore, and her eyes landed on Marley, limping towards her.

“What happened?” She asked, ignoring the way her head felt like it was underwater.

“I think I twisted my ankle,” Marley hissed. Anna grabbed one of Marley’s arms and draped it over her shoulder, forcing Marley to lean on her.

“How’d you managed that?”

“I fell off those damn bleachers trying to follow you. What the hell happened?” Marley snapped.

“Let’s get you to the infirmary,” Anna declared, ignoring her question. As they walked away from the arena, Anna chanced a glance over her shoulder. Merle stood above Martinez with his arms in the air, a toothy grin split across his face.

She couldn’t help but be amazed at the faces of the Woodbury residents as they cheered for their champion standing above his opponent like a triumphant gladiator of Rome, ignoring the walkers clawing desperately at the distance between them and their prey.  She was almost glad Dale wasn’t alive to see how far humanity had fallen.


	8. Chapter Seven

Anna stared out the window at the front gates, where Merle and three other men had left roughly an hour ago on a supply run. She wished they had been able to leave the night before, but with Marley laid up in bed for the next week with a sprained ankle, the two were trapped in Woodbury.

“Damn it,” Marley hissed. Anna turned to her as the woman tried to reposition her elevated leg to a more comfortable position.  “This is bullshit.”

Anna rolled her eyes, helping Marley adjust the pillows so that she was in a sitting position.

“There’s no point worrying about it now,” Anna sighed before wandering over to the couch where she plopped down, sinking in to the soft brown cushions.

“You almost sound happy to be stuck here.”

“More exhausted than anything else,” Anna groaned, letting her head fall back against the back of the couch. She shut her eyes, forcing her body and face to relax. She really was exhausted. It felt as though she hadn’t slept in months – which was partially true. Every muscle in her body ached with each movement, and most days all she wanted to do was collapse into the bed Marley currently occupied and never wake up.

But there was always something.

A knock came at the door, and Anna jumped to her feet at the sudden noise. With a questioning glance to Marley, Anna approached the door carefully.

“Yeah?” Anna called.

“It’s Martinez, open up.”

Anna furrowed her brow before cautiously opening the door a few inches.

“What’s up?”  She asked, her eyes taking quick stock of him. He was unarmed.

“Governor needs a favor.”

*

Standing in a small field in front of several men and women was not what Anna had expected. She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at each of their faces.

“So, he wants me to help you train them?” She muttered under her breath to Martinez standing beside her. Apparently, Andrea had been as pleased about the arena as Anna. For whatever reason, the Governor wanted to appease Andrea by training the civilians to defend themselves.

“You were with the National Guard,” Martinez nodded. “Maybe you’ve got somethin’ we don’t.”

Anna grimaced. “I wasn’t actually with the National Guard; those soldiers just gave me a uniform.”

“Well…” Martinez sighed, rubbing the sweat off the back of his head. “They teach you anything while you were with ‘em?” He asked.

Pursing her lips, Anna nodded, thinking back on all the intense training they’d put her through when she was healthy enough to leave the infirmary. She wasn’t exactly interested in training the Woodbury army, but to refuse would have been too suspicious.

“Alright! We’re gonna start with a demonstration!” He declared with a smile as he clapped his hands together. “Now, most of you managed to avoid most of the shit that was out there before you came here. Let me tell you – it ain’t like what you see in the arena.” Martinez jabbed his thumb over his shoulder as he began to pace the length of the crowd. “And it ain’t just biters out there. People who wanna take what’s ours. You gotta know how to defend you and yours.”

How Anna had managed not to roll her eyes was beyond her, but she was glad she didn’t as Martinez looked to her.

“This here is Anna – she was with the National Guard, and she has so graciously agreed to help me with the demonstration.” Martinez faced her fully, grounding himself. “You ready?”

Anna uncrossed her arms, bringing them up to shield her face like a boxer, spreading her feet so that they were shoulder length apart. When she felt ready, she nodded.

Martinez lunged for her, swinging at her with his right fist. She blocked it with her arms before she felt a punch to her left side, just hard enough to feel.

“Now, a real opponent won’t give you time to prepare. They’ll just attack!” He explained, aiming another punch at Anna’s gut. She blocked it again, more worried about his quick fists than landing any blows of her own.

She saw his fist flying towards her face and took a few steps back, careful not to lose her footing.

“See, Anna is doin’ the smart thing – she’s keeping out of range,” he observed aloud as he reached for her and she backed away again. He finally stilled his fists and their eyes trained on each other.

Anna studied her opponent. He was bigger than her and carried himself like a boxer. Hit like one, at least, with quick jabs and light feet. It was how Val fought – when he was alive. Anna knew her best bet was to wear him out until she had an opening. But she needed to be careful with her own limited stamina.

In the time it took for her to come to this conclusion, Martinez was already on the offensive again, charging her with a quick blow to the face. She fell back, feeling a dull ache in her left cheek. He’d gotten her good – probably expecting her to dodge again.

She could see the briefest of grimaces on his face at the sight of her sprawled out in the dirt before he lunged for her, aiming blow after blow to her sides and her face. They weren’t hard – and she was thankful for that – but she was trapped under him, and she had a problem with that.

“After you manage to get your opponent on the ground or cornered, follow through. Don’t give them time to recover,” he said before Anna brought her elbow up, catching the inside of his forearm with a jab.

Martinez winced in pain, his arm twitching, but he continued the onslaught of fists.

Anna’s heart rate picked up, and she reached for anything within her grasp to defend herself but came upon nothing but dirt.

“Close your eyes,” she demanded, quiet so that Martinez was the only one who could hear.

He furrowed his brow at her, confusion written across his face, and did not close his eyes in time.  She flung a handful of dirt in his face and, instinctively, Martinez flinched, squeezing his eyes shut as the Earth covered his face.   He pulled back, and Anna took this moment to slip out from under him before reeling back to kick him in the chest, just hard enough that he fell on his back.

“You should always use your environment to your advantage,” Anna stated, a triumphant smirk on her face.

Martinez wiped the dirt from his face, rubbing at his eyes before he squinted at Anna.

“Clever.”

“Before this wrestling match gets drawn out any further, how about we start the actual training?” Anna suggested, feeling the ache in her lungs from all the effort their sparring match had required. Martinez nodded his agreement as he got to his feet, his eyes red.

“So, wait – who won that?”

*

“So, what’s the deal with you and Merle?” Martinez asked, pulling two brown bottles of beer from a cooler. Anna accepted the drink and popped it open before taking a long swig of the bitter liquid within.

“What do you mean?” Anna asked, pulling the bottle from her lips. She stared out at the horizon, watching the sun as it fell through the sky. After training, Martinez offered her a cool drink at the front gates. She had never developed much of a taste for beer, but she wasn’t about to turn down a chance to numb herself for a little while as they sat together on the platform overlooking the perimeter.

“Come on, I’ve seen you two talking.”

“What’s your point, Martinez?” She asked, growing tired of his seeming inability to be straight forward. Or maybe she was just tired of dodging questions.

“Were you a part of his group before we found him?”

Anna pursed her lips before taking another long drink from her bottle, contemplating the best way to explain the complicated way she knew Merle.

“Yes,” she finally said. “But only after he _left_ the group.”

“I don’t get it.”

Anna set her near empty bottle down in the space between them. She stared at the way the light shined against the glass.

“After Merle was left in Atlanta, I met Merle’s brother and joined their group. I hadn’t met Merle before coming here.”

Martinez hummed. “Merle’s been obsessed with finding his brother.” Anna clenched her jaw, keeping her eyes trained on the bottle. “He anything like Merle?”

“I used to think they had the same eyes,” Anna muttered without thinking. She bit her lip and finally pulled her attention away from the bottle. She glared at a lone walker wandering into the perimeter. “Forget I said that.”

“Uh, no – that was such a chick thing to say.”

“It may have escaped your notice, Martinez – but I am, in fact, a chick,” Anna sighed, rolling her eyes.

“It did not.” Martinez chuckled. “For a chick, you fight pretty good.”

“Well,” Anna corrected.

“What?”

“I fight pretty well,” she repeated, a small smirk playing at her lips.

Martinez snorted. “What, you an English teacher now?”

“No. I—” Anna cut herself off, wondering if she even wanted to remember that. “I think I’ll need substantially more beer before I start talking about life before the end of the world,” Anna mumbled as she picked up her bottle and drained the rest.

“Well, you’re gonna have to be happy with one more – gotta make these things last.” Martinez laughed, handing her another beer. Anna accepted the second bottle. “So, what were you before?”

“College student. English,” she listed off robotically before tipping her head back to down half of the beer.

Martinez raised his eyebrows. “Nice. I never went to college – too busy boxing.”

“I knew you were a boxer.” Anna grinned.

Silence stretched between them as their laughter died. Martinez stood, taking up his rifle and aimed it at the walker before he paused.

“Let’s see what you got, kid,” he said, shoving the rifle into her arms.

Anna sighed before she set the beer down and stood beside the man. She steadied the rifle in her hands, pressing it into her shoulder. She stared down the sights, targeting the walkers head. Exhaling slowly, she squeezed her finger around the trigger. The kick back was nothing she wasn’t used to as the bullet erupted from the muzzle and nestled into the skull of the walker.

“Nice shot,” Martinez appraised clapping her on the shoulder.

“Martinez!” The two turned at the intrusive sound. “Sorry to cut your date short but Merle needs your help with something,” Shumpert stated, climbing up to meet them on the platform.

_When did he come back?_ Anna thought to herself, furrowing her brow. She glanced between Shumpert and Martinez, seeing the loaded looks they were giving each other, and her gut twisted into knots.

“Is he okay?” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could think better of it.

“Yeah, he’s fine sweetheart. Why don’t you go check on your friend?” Shumpert said, gesturing for her to get a move on. Anna scowled at him but obliged, climbing down the gates, followed by Martinez.

Anna started towards her apartment, keeping Martinez in her peripheral as he headed off down the street. She got to the front door and paused a moment, seeing Martinez turn the corner down an alley near the Governor’s apartment building.

She cast a glance at Shumpert, focused on the perimeter outside the wall. Did she risk being caught just to find out what was going on with Merle? Anna looked to her hand on the door knob and took a deep breath. Her mind made up, she entered the building and jogged up to the third-floor apartment. Inside, Marley was still napping. Anna didn’t blame her, it had been an exhausting several days, and there wasn’t much else to do laid up as she was.

After rinsing off the grime and sweat from the day, Anna sunk into the soft cushions of the couch. Everything felt calm, and for a moment, Anna could forget that they were in hostile territory, surrounded by people who had killed their friends. For a moment, Anna didn’t want to go back to what was left of Fort Benning.

Anna allowed her body to relax just enough to drift into a tentative sleep.

*

"Help!” Anna’s eyes shot open and she jumped from the couch, her hand falling to her hip for a gun that wasn’t there. She looked to Marley still sitting on the bed trying to crane her neck to see out the window.

"Go check it out,” Marley sighed, looking back to Anna. Anna nodded and made her way outside. She was surprised by the lack of sun light. She hadn’t realized she had slept for so long. She spotted Andrea and the Governor jogging over to a young woman, who was leaned over a man sitting on the stoop of a white building across the street.

Anna caught up to them to investigate.

“Are we under attack?” The young woman asked as Anna joined the slowly growing crowd of civilians and soldiers. “What should we do?”

The Governor looked to the civilians and stood to address them.

“Everyone, please just go home, lock your doors,” he began, “we need to keep everyone safe, okay? So, just get inside, keep your lights off. Come on.” He clapped at them to get a move on and with a few murmurs they dispersed, leaving only the soldiers standing there with the rifles and side arms. One unnamed soldier passed her a hand gun with a nod.

“We’re under attack,” The Governor stated, facing his small army. “You fan out and you find these people. Don’t take any chances, try and take prisoners. You shoot to kill, you got that?” Anna swallowed hard. It should have been an easy decision but, looking around her at the stoic faces of the more seasoned soldiers and the nervous looks the newest recruits exchanged, Anna found herself lost on what she should do.

The other soldiers dispersed, and Anna went to follow when the Governor called out.

“Anna, come with me. You too Andrea.”

Anna nodded and followed him and Andrea down the street.


	9. Chapter Eight

“Any sign of them?” The Governor asked the moment Merle stepped through the door, followed by Shumpert and Martinez.

“Signs of what? What exactly is happening out there?” Milton asked, panic lacing his voice.

“Some assholes want what we have,” Merle explained.

“Then what are we doing waiting around here?” Andrea asked, looking to the Governor.

“Damn straight. Let’s take these sons of bitches out.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “We can’t go out there half-cocked. We need a plan.”

“How do we know the perimeter was actually breached?   Did anyone actually see them?” Milton asked, nodding along to Anna’s assertion.

“They killed Warren,” Merle declared, looking around the room. “Got up close, stuck a stake through his neck.”

The Governor stood straighter. “We need patrols, now. Can’t take chances with these terrorists.” He turned to Andrea and Anna. “You two check on our people, make sure they’re safe.”

“You want us to do house calls? Make sure everyone’s tucked in?” Andrea asked, incredulous.

“These guys could be holed up in one of our residences. They could be holding someone captive, or worse.” The Governor said.

“Exactly – Andrea, this isn’t about your ego,” Anna agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. Anna got a sudden rush of Deja vu that nearly brought a smile to her face.

“Thank you.” The Governor nodded and stalked off. “The rest of you split up. Merle will lead the search.”

Andrea wasn’t done, unfortunately, and followed after the Governor to argue her case.

“You be careful out there, kid,” Merle grumbled, stepping up to Anna.

Anna looked to the man in question. This was the first time she’d seen him since the arena.  His nose had a bandage over it, blood staining the cloth, and he had a split lip.

“I can take care of myself,” she replied evenly.

Merle nodded. “Right. Well, hop to it then,” he said before turning away from her to organize the search group.

Anna stared at his back for a moment before she turned her attention to Andrea approaching her.

“Do you always have to be against me?” The woman asked, an irritated look on her face.

“We’ll take opposite sides of the street, cover more ground that way,” Anna stated, brushing past Andrea and ignoring her question. “Think of it as being on our own special search mission – there’s a chance we’ll find the _terrorists,”_ Anna muttered when she saw that Andrea was walking beside her.

“You say that like they’re not.”

“Because, they aren’t.” Anna narrowed her eyes at Andrea. “A terrorist attacks with the purpose of eliciting terror. These guys are just trying to take our shit,” Anna explained. “At least according to Merle. They’re bandits”

“Does it really matter what we call them? They’re dangerous.”

Anna stopped walking and tilted her head to the side.

“You know, seven months ago, I would have said yes. Now, I’m not so sure.”

*

The two made their way outside and found the streets filled with smoke and heavy gunfire. They drew their weapons, keeping their heads low and bodies close to the wall as they made their way down the sidewalk towards the noise.

They positioned themselves against a red brick building and opened fire on the figures moving in the smoke. It was like they were chasing ghosts, the way the figures darted in and out of sight.

“You all right?” The Governor asked as he appeared behind them.

“I saw them,” Andrea said breathlessly, not taking her eyes off her targets for even a moment as they took cover within what looked like an alcove. “One of them, at least. Black guy, young. Looked like he was wearing a prison jumpsuit,” Andrea explained.

Anna hadn’t seen him.   Ready to fire the second she saw them, her focus was on the alcove, where the offending party was taking refuge.

“Escaped convicts.”

Anna saw Merle, Martinez, and Shumpert moving forward to take cover behind a bench and trashcan. She took a deep breath and sprinted the distance between her and the men, ducking her head to avoid enemy fire and sliding in beside Merle.

“The hell are you doin’ out here, kid?” Merle shouted over the thunderous gunfire.

“Someone’s gotta take care of you,” Anna snapped, shooting again at the alcove.

Merle huffed at her, aiming his sub-machine gun.

“Gee, don’t I feel special.”

One man came out from the alcove then and tossed something towards them. Anna flinched back, her eyes trained on the object rolling along the street, emitting more smoke.

“Damn it,” she hissed. She could barely see the forms of the enemy making a run for the buses that made up the back wall. She aimed at the biggest target, ready to fire, when a barrage of bullets rained down on her. She fell back, shouting a slew of curses at the searing pain emitting from her left forearm.

“Kid!” Merle shouted, his voice sounding distant.

“Ah, fuck,” She groaned out, trying to staunch the rapid bleeding. “I’m alright!” She snapped, feeling Merle’s hand clasp around her arm. She pulled away from him, feeling her body spasm in pain, “Fuck.”  she hissed. “Bastard fucking shot me.”

“Yeah, he got you good,” Merle sighed.

The sound of gun fire subsided and Merle hauled her to her feet, wrapping her right arm over his shoulder to drag her down the street. She found herself growing agitated at the way her feet refused stay under her.

Merle supported most of her weight for the entirety of the journey to the infirmary. Inside, she finally managed to take control of her wobbly legs again, and she collapsed on the first available bed.

“I’ll get the Doc,” Merle grumbled, striding out of the room.

A moment later, Doctor Stevens came flying through the door. She inspected the wound carefully, poking and prodding at the puckered flesh.

“Well, it’s still in there,” the woman muttered before turning away to dig inside a cabinet. She returned with her hands filled with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a small bowl that held forceps, thread, and a needle.

“Here,” Stevens said, shoving the bottle into Anna’s right hand. “You’ll want to take a drink of that before I get started. “

Anna complied and winced as the burning liquid slid down her throat. She handed the bottle back to Stevens, who immediately poured it on the bullet hole in her arm. Anna cursed at the stinging pain, but otherwise held still as Stevens dug the slug out.

“You’ll live, thank God,” Stevens muttered as she dropped the bullet into the dish. “You won’t be able to move that arm normally for a while, if ever – but you’ll live.”

Anna glared at the floor as Stevens made quick work of stitching and bandaging the wound. Once the woman was finished with her work, Merle came back into the room.

“How is everyone?” Anna immediately asked.

“Governor got hurt, but he’ll live. He wants everyone to gather at the arena,” Merle explained.

“Why? We should be regrouping in case those assholes come back. They made it over the fence—” Merle held up his hand to cut her off.

“Not all of them.”

*

Anna retrieved Marley from the apartment, explaining everything that had happened. Marley hadn’t been too happy that Anna was so willing to help out Woodbury after everything the Governor had done, but Anna was too exhausted to even try defending herself.

If she were being honest, she had only an inkling as to why she had helped the town. They weren’t just faceless monsters anymore, and they weren’t just soldiers, but innocent people. Of course, Anna couldn’t bring herself to say any of this aloud to her friend.

The two didn’t bother trying to climb the bleachers. It was much like the night before, only there were no walkers chained to the cement and no gladiators pitted against each other. There was a low murmur of confusion from the crowd as they waited for the Governor to make his appearance. And so, he did. With a white patch of cloth held to his eye by gauze and a long, dark grey duster, the Governor made his way to the center of the arena, his steps languid.

Anna could see how exhausted he was. How exhausted they all were.

“What can I say?” The Governor asked the moment everyone fell silent. “Hasn’t been a night like this since the walls were completed.” He looked to everyone surrounding him. “And I thought we were past it—” He swallowed hard, looking to his feet. “Past the days when we all sat huddled, scared, in front of the TV during the early days of the outbreak.”

Anna averted her gaze, allowing herself to remember the days spent cooped up in a stranger’s apartment, watching and listening and waiting for it all to be over. Her heart ached with the memory of Anderson and Evan.

“The fear we all felt then, we felt it again tonight.... I failed you,” The Governor sighed. “I promised to keep you safe. Hell, look at me. You know, I— I should tell you that we’ll be okay, that we’re safe, that tomorrow we’ll bury our dead and endure, but I— I won’t, because I can’t. Because I’m afraid.”

Anna looked back to the Governor, watching the way he had the slightest stumble in his steps, and listened to the slightest slur in his words.

“I’m afraid of terrorists who want what we have. Want to destroy us! And worse…” He’d either been drinking, or he was high off pain killers. Or both. Anna didn’t care either way as the next words fell from his mouth. “Because one of those terrorists… is one of our own.”

Anna swallowed hard, her grip on Marley tightening. Her body was telling her _be ready to run_ but her mind was faltering. The murmuring of the crowd picked up again. Anna cast her eyes about for anyone who may be looking at them, and then focused on The Governor, who stared at nothing.

He raised his hand slowly to point behind him.

“Merle.” Anna’s eyes went wide as she watched Shumpert and Martinez aim their weapons at him.

Her heart plunged into her guts. _No._ Anna couldn’t quite explain to herself why she was so adverse to the thought of Merle getting hurt. But there she was, staring wide-eyed as two more men came and disarmed him.

“The man I counted on, the man I trusted. He led ‘em here. He let ‘em in. It was you.” The Governor said, staring down Merle. “You lied, betrayed us all.”

Anna saw movement out of her peripheral and turned to see a man being led into the arena, his face covered with a sack, fighting against his captures.

Martinez shoved Merle into the arena.

“This is one of the terrorists,” The Governor declared as he grabbed hold of the man’s arm, pulling him close. He ripped the hood from the man’s head, presenting him to the audience.

Her heart stopped beating. She couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears and her eyes felt very dry, but she couldn’t bring herself to blink. Couldn’t bring herself to look away from him. She breathed his name, her lungs feeling like they were on the verge of collapse.

“Daryl.”


	10. Chapter Nine

“Kill them!”

Every breath Anna took was like howling wind. She looked wildly about the crowd, her heart in her throat as they screamed for the lives of the men standing in the arena.

“Kill them!”

She couldn’t move. Why couldn’t she just move? He was so close.

“I asked you where your loyalties lie.” The Governor spoke, ending the chants for death. “You said here. Prove it. To all of us. Brother against brother.” The crowd shouted their agreement. “Winner goes free. Fight to the death!”

The crowd cheered. There were a few cries in support of Merle. They knew him. They didn’t know his brother. They didn’t know Daryl. Not like Anna did.

“Anna,” Marley whispered.

“Y’all know me!” Merle declared. “I’m gonna do whatever I got to do to prove –” he threw a punch at Daryl’s gut, throwing him to the ground.

 “No!” The word tumbled out of Anna’s mouth, but her voice was drowned out in the excitement of the crowd.

“— that my loyalty is to this town!” Merle shouted, kicking his brother.

“Merle, stop!” Anna pleaded. The only thing keeping her from rushing the arena was the lame Marley on her shoulder.

Marley tightened her grip on Anna. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“That’s Daryl!” Anna shrieked, staring wildly at the scene before her.

Merle continued to rain down blow after blow on Daryl, until he threw his own punch, sending Merle stumbling backwards. Daryl lunged at him before he could regain his footing, and the two fell to the ground. Merle gained the advantage, straddling Daryl and holding him by the collar of his shirt as he hit him hard in the face. Then again. And again. And again.

Anna tore her eyes away from them and saw the walkers. Heart racing, she stared between them and the brothers.

Merle suddenly released Daryl, letting him fall back to the ground.  His eyes on the dead lumbering towards them, he jerked Daryl to his feet. The two bleeding men moved to stand back to back, facing their newest foe, trying desperately to keep the corpses from getting too close. Merle lashed out at one of them and drove the metal stump of his arm into its head. But it didn’t matter.   There was no escape.

The Governor didn’t want either of them to make it out of the ring alive.

Finally, Anna remembered the gun.

She dropped Marley’s arm, and pulled the gun from her hip. She was glad that she hadn’t been shot in her right arm as she aimed the gun at the walker Daryl was struggling to hold at bay.

Its head erupted in an explosion of blood and brain matter. But Anna hadn’t pulled the trigger. There was a second gun shot as people started running in every direction, filling the air with their screams.Anna ducked down, dragging Marley with her as smoke filled the air, obscuring her view.

“Anna, we have to go!” Marley said over the cacophony as she tugged on Anna’s arm.

“Daryl!” Anna screamed, resisting the pull of her friend.

“Anna!” Marley forced Anna to face her. “We have to trust that he’ll be okay.”

Anna’s breath came in quick bursts as she looked frantically about the arena, trying to pinpoint where Daryl and Merle had disappeared to in the smoke. But, the sheer amount of bodies rushing past them overwhelmed her.

“We need to go. Now!” Marley demanded, finally managing to pull Anna to her feet. Anna stumbled forward, keeping close to the limping Marley as they, too, ran from the arena. They fumbled through the dark, gunfire echoing behind them as they made their way to the back wall, where they knew no guards would be posted.

“How are we getting out of here?” Marley asked as she looked over their shoulders.

“We’ll climb the buses,” Anna explained, huffing at the effort it took to keep Marley standing upright. “I’ll jump down first and catch you,” she said as they approached the back wall.

“Or we could go through the gaping hole in the wall,” Marley offered. Between the two buses, Anna could see a panel in the wall had been kicked outward, allowing for an easier escape from Woodbury that didn’t involve possible further injury to either of them.

“Yeah,” Anna nodded. “That works.”

Anna squeezed through first, her gun raised for any threats when her eyes landed on something she hadn’t been expecting to see.

Merle was crouched over a walker as he rammed his metal stump into its head. Rick was taking aim against two walkers stumbling towards him. Maggie was focused on firing at another walker as it fell on her. Anna’s heart skipped a beat when her attention finally came to him, whacking a walker in the face with his crossbow, while yet another approached him from behind.

She raised her gun just as Marley came to stand behind her and fired. Daryl swung around to attack the walker as it fell at his feet, a hole in its temple. He cast his eyes about for the source of the bullet when he saw her.

His eyes went wide, and his jaw went slack as he stared at her. Now that he was out of the arena, not fighting for his life against his brother, Anna could really see him. How long his hair had grown, the weariness in his eyes. The winter had not been kind to him. To any of them.

Anna threw Marley’s arm over her shoulder again and the two staggered forward to meet the group.

“Hell, kid – there’s just no gettin’ rid of you, is there?” Merle laughed.

“Anna?” Daryl choked.

Anna could feel the others’ eyes fall on her. At first it was as though they weren’t sure if she was really there. They stared at her, not moving. Then, Rick took a cautious step forward, holding out his hand to her as he slowly approached.

He looked tired, with bags under his eyes and a scruffy greying beard that just barely covered his hollow cheeks. Gently, he laid his hand on her left shoulder confirming that she was real, that she was alive.

“Ain’t no time for a reunion y’all. We got to move,” Merle said.

Rick nodded and stepped back. The group headed towards the woods, and Maggie quickly gave Anna’s shoulder a squeeze as she passed. Anna looked to Daryl, acutely aware that they were not yet alone. He only walked beside her for a moment. He brushed her arm lightly, careful to avoid the bandages, before hurrying to catch up with Rick. It was a silent promise that they would talk later.

“Guess I get to finally meet your friends,” Marley said.

*

The six of them jogged in silence for roughly two miles, Anna and Marley just barely keeping up as they staggered along, until they hit a road where Anna could see a familiar light green Nissan.

“Glenn!” Rick hissed as they approached.

Through the trees, Anna could see two familiar faces. Anna was briefly surprised to see Michonne with Glenn but was nonetheless happy that they were both okay.

“Oh, thank God,” Glenn sighed as he speed-walked to meet the group.

“Now, we got a problem here. I need you to back up,” Rick announced, holding his hand out as if that would do any good. The moment Glenn and Michonne saw Merle, they drew their weapons, Glenn with a handgun and Michonne with her sword.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Glenn shouted, his gun trained on Merle. Rick and Daryl stepped in front of Merle, ordering Glenn and Michonne to lower their weapons.

“He tried to kill me!” Michonne shrieked.

Anna dropped Marley’s arm and took a step forward with both of her arms raised.

“Let’s maybe discuss this calmly,” she suggested.

“Anna?” Glenn asked as he gaped at her. “You... you’re alive?” His facial hair had grown in – though not as much as Ricks – and he seemed older, tired. He wasn’t the same guy she had known nearly seven months ago.

“How’s about you point that pea-shooter somewhere else, boy,” Merle griped, glaring at the gun still aimed at him. Anna groaned as Merle called attention to himself again. “Man, look like you’ve gone native, brother.” Merle laughed.

“No more than you hangin’ out with that psycho back there,” Daryl shouted.

“Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer, I got to tell you that. Been puttin’ the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby,” Merle continued.

“What?” Glenn asked. “Andrea’s in Woodbury?” He looked to Anna, who simply nodded as she helped Marley limp over to a tree for support.

“Right next to the Governor,” Daryl grumbled. Anna clenched her jaw.

“You know Andrea?” Rick asked, glaring at Michonne.

Merle grinned. “Yup, she does. Her and blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest.”

“What is the point to you being such an asshole, Merle?” Anna spat.

Merle ignored her, continuing to taunt Rick and the others as he spoke. “What you gonna do about it now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs, and cowards. Oh, man, look at this. Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in them.”

“Merle, shut up!” Daryl warned.

“Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies you roll—” Rick came around Merle and pistol whipped him in the back of the neck, effectively knock him unconscious and on the ground.

“Asshole,” Rick grumbled.

With the immediate inconvenience out cold, Glenn turned back to Anna, quick to engulf her in a hug.

“You’re alive,” he muttered into her shoulder. Anna stiffened at the contact. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his torso. “You were in Woodbury, too?” He asked as he pulled away. He held her at arm’s length, taking in her appearance.

Anna nodded as she stepped out of his reach.

“Only for a week. Marley and I—” Anna gestured behind her to Marley who gave a half-hearted wave. “We were with a larger group before that.”

“The Governor killed them,” Marley stated before Anna could continue. Anna looked over her shoulder, furrowing her brow at Marley, noticed Marley’s jaw clenching and her fingers flexing at her side. But she chose to say nothing further on the issue.

“And you just decided to stay with him?” Maggie asked, incredulous.

“We didn’t exactly see him kill our people.” Marley sighed. “We were waiting for the right time to strike back.”

“Not much two people can do against a small army,” Anna interjected.

Rick shook his head. “Well, I’m glad you’re back, Anna. Glad you’re alive.” Anna nodded to him.

A light groan interrupted their reunion as Merle came to.

Rick, Daryl, Maggie and Glenn walked a few paces away from the Nissan to discuss their options away from Michonne, Merle and Marley. Anna chose to stay with the three, feeling that her opinion wasn’t needed having been away for so long. She was a stranger to them now, and so were they to her.

“So, you finally made it out?” Michonne commented, looking between Anna and Marley.

“Took us too damn long,” Marley snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against a tree to keep her upright.

“What happened?” She asked, gesturing to the bandages around Marley’s ankle and Anna’s arm.

Before Marley could answer, Glenn called out.

“Daryl are you serious? Daryl!” Anna looked over to see Daryl walking towards the car, his mouth set in a hard line. Rick intercepted him.

Anna worked her jaw, watching as Daryl and Rick stood off by themselves. She could just barely hear him say “Don’t ask me to leave him. I already did that once.” She knew the second the others refused to allow Merle to join them that Daryl wouldn’t stay. It’s what she would have done if it were her brother. It hurt all the same.

Daryl and Rick walked together to the trunk of the Nissan, Rick still trying to convince him to stay.

“No him, no me. That’s all I can say.”

“What about you?” Marley whispered beside her. Anna shook her head as she turned her eyes to the ground. She heard the trunk slam shut a few minutes later.

A pair of mud-covered boots came into her view, and then a tattered notebook.

“Saved this for you.” Anna raised her head to look Daryl in the eyes as she accepted the old book. She turned it over in her hands, running her fingers over the words that she had scratched into the cover. “I read it. I’m sorry.”

She knew he was apologizing for more than just reading her journal – and in another life she would have cared that he had – but more than that, she knew he was apologizing for not finding her over the winter, and for leaving her now. She steadied herself, sucking in a bit of air as she held his gaze.

“It’s okay.”

He opened his mouth to say something more, but glancing at Marley, then once more at Anna, he turned on his heel and walked away, his crossbow and backpack over his shoulder. He joined Merle, his brother looping an arm over his shoulder as they headed away from the group. Daryl cast a fleeting glance over his shoulder as the two disappeared through the trees.

“Just like that? You’re just gonna let him go?” Glenn asked, incredulous.

Anna sighed as she watched him disappear.

“Just like that.”


	11. Chapter Ten

The ride to the prison was quiet and tense. Rick drove, with Maggie in the passenger seat. Glenn, Michonne, Anna, and Marley were squeezed into the backseat, with Marley sitting on Anna’s lap. Anna stared out the window for the duration of the trip, watching the trees speed past them.

She knew the others had conflicting feelings about her return. She did, too. On the one hand, they had missed each other, that much was clear. But on the other hand, they were all strangers to each other now. So much had changed over the winter that they barely recognized one another.

And then there was the fact that Anna didn’t fight for Daryl to stay. She had just let him walk away like he had been nothing to her. In truth, it had killed her to watch him leave.

“So… I imagine the prison was hard to clear?” Marley asked, breaking the long silence. “Did all that with just the few of you?”

Anna glanced about the car, seeing the haunted looks on Rick and Glenn’s faces.

“We have more people,” Glenn explained. “We lost two of our people while clearing the prison.”

Anna’s breath caught in her throat, and she adjusted her position under Marley, careful not to jostle her friend’s ankle or put pressure on her own injury, to get a better look at Glenn.

“Who?” She asked.

“T-Dog.” Glenn sighed. “Lori.” Anna’s eyes darted over to Rick in time to see the way his jaw clenched at the mention of his late wife.

“I’m sorry,” Anna whispered.

“We’re here,” Rick stated simply. Anna tilted her head, pressing her forehead to the cool window, to see a gloomy grey structure getting closer. The prison looked like a fortress, surrounded by a tall chain-link fence and barbed wire.

Rick pulled the car through the first gate and parked it.

“Drive ‘em up. I’ll meet you there,” Rick ordered Maggie as he hopped out of the vehicle. Anna stared wide eyed at the young boy walking towards the car, a sheriff’s hat perched on his head.

Anna leaned forward, almost astonished to see him. The last time she had been with the group, she had been tearing through the farm house searching for the missing Carl. She hadn’t found him when Anderson convinced her to leave the farm, and it had bugged her for 227 days whether or not the kid was still alive.

Maggie obscured her view for a moment as she climbed into the driver’s seat, but she could see Rick hugging Carl to him.

“I was looking for him when the farm fell,” Anna muttered. “Glad that mystery is resolved.”

Anna caught movement in her peripheral and turned to see Carol peering through the window.  Hugging herself, she turned back to Rick. Maggie put the car into drive and they made their way up the gravel path to the main part of the prison. Anna craned her neck to watch Carol, Carl, and Rick grow smaller and smaller.

“She’ll be wondering where Daryl is,” Glenn explained, his eyes trained on the back of Maggie’s head rest.

*

After getting over their initial shock of Anna’s return, Hershel had guided Marley, Anna, and Michonne to individual cells to have their injuries treated. He had, understandably, checked on Glenn and Maggie first. Anna was last on his rounds.

While Anna had waited for Hershel to finally get to her, Beth introduced Judith, Carl’s baby sister. Carol had tearfully hugged her, and Carl lightly teased her for having lost her high score on their game, _1974_.

Now, Anna sat on the small bed, staring at her hands resting in her lap. Hershel sat on a stool in front of her, gently examining the stitched bullet hole in her arm.

“I’ll redress it with clean gauze. This Doctor Stevens did a good job,” Hershel explained as he leaned down to dig through a black utility bag.

“Well, she’s a doctor so…” Anna muttered. She could see the small smile play at Hershel’s lips. “Thank you,” Anna said as Hershel sat upright, brandishing a roll of gauze.

Anna winced as Hershel positioned the gauze around her forearm, but otherwise made no complaints. She found that his presence was calming – something she hadn’t exactly felt in a long time. She was grateful for it all the same.

“You guys have been through a lot,” Anna commented, watching Hershel tie off the wrapping. Beth had explained everything that had happened over the winter, how they had been constantly on the move since the farm, exactly how they had lost T-Dog and Lori, and why Shane was no longer with them.

“I imagine you have too,” Hershel countered softly. “What happened there?” He asked, gesturing to the right side of Anna’s face. He was, of course, referring to the scar that extended from Anna’s right temple to the top of her right cheek bone.

Anna ran her fingertips over the scar. She didn’t want to think about how she had gotten it, but she found herself answering Hershel anyway.

“Some asshole thought it would be funny,” she whispered.

“After the farm… what happened to Anderson?” Hershel asked, urging her to continue.

Anna turned her head so that she was looking out of the cell, focused on the barred windows high on the wall, sunlight filtering through the dirty glass.

“He was bitten,” she began, a lump forming in her throat. She ignored it and went on. “He asked me to end it for him.”

“How did you survive after that? All on your own? Did you just happen across Marley and her group?” Anna opened and closed her mouth, trying to find the right words.  

“It doesn’t matter,” she finally said, turning to look at Hershel. She forced a smile onto her face, trying to assure him that she was fine. He gave her a skeptical look, clearly not buying it. “More importantly, how the hell did you lose your leg?” She asked, tilting her head to look at the empty space where the lower half of his right leg should have been.

Hershel let out a soft chuckle. “I was bitten. Rick amputated it. Saved my life.”

Anna raised her eyebrows, taken back by the information. “Damn.”

Another silence stretched between them. Anna knew he hadn’t dropped the subject of her winter, yet. She found herself wanting to answer him. To tell him everything. But, she couldn’t. She couldn’t open her mouth and let the words spill out. She couldn’t bare for him to look at her the way Andrea had. With that pity that filled her with disgust.

“If you need to talk,” Hershel started, rising from the stool with the help of his crutches. Anna jumped up, holding out her hands in case he tumbled over. “You can talk to me. Doctor-Patient confidentiality can still apply.”

A small laugh passed Anna’s lips as she followed Hershel out of the cell. She looked out over the cell block, having insisted on taking the third cell on the second level, just next to Marley. Everyone seemed content to keeping busy, cleaning and mending and making this prison a home.

“Hey, Anna.” She turned to see Glenn walking down the catwalk, two rifles in hand and his mouth set in a thin line. “You’re with me on watch. Is she good to go, Hershel?” Hershel nodded his approval and Anna accepted the rifle Glenn held out to her.

*

Out in the guard tower, Anna and Glenn stood together watching the tree line. Glenn hadn’t said much to her since they arrived at the prison. She briefly wondered why he had asked her to join him on watch and not Maggie or Carol.

“How could you just let him leave?” Glenn asked, breaking through the charged silence.

Anna pursed her lips as she kept her eyes trained on the tree line. So, this was why he chose her. What was she supposed to say? What would be easier for him to understand?

“It wasn’t easy,” Anna sighed, holding the binoculars up to her face to get a better look at a pair of walkers eating some kind of small animal.

Glenn scoffed. “You sure made it look easy.” Anna didn’t respond. He was angry, and she would let him be, if that’s what he needed. “You know, he never stopped looking for you. And you—” He sucked in a steadying breath and exhaled slowly, clearly trying to remain calm. “You just let him walk away.”

Anna closed her eyes.  She ignored the horrid scent of rotting flesh that the wind carried and focused on the soothing way the breeze brushed over and cooled her heated skin. This was some reunion.

“What happened to you?” There was a bite to his question, and it stung. She opened her eyes and gazed out at the horizon, her face impassive. “The Anna I knew would have fought for us all to stay together. She would have given a shit—”

Anna cut him off with a whisper, the words pouring from her mouth like a flood before she could stop them.

 “Maybe the Anna you knew is dead.” She could feel him staring at her.

“What happened to you?” His words were softer now, hushed. Sad.

And somehow, Anna found herself speaking past the rock in her throat.

“After the farm… Anderson was bitten,” she began. “I killed him before he could turn. I was going to kill myself, too.” She stopped herself, unsure if she wanted to continue. She felt pressure on her hand and looked down. Glenn’s hand was covering hers as they rested on the railing. She looked up at him, but he kept his eyes on the trees, and she found comfort in that. Encouragement.

“Randall.”

Glenn looked at her then, his brow furrowed.

“He’s dead. Shane— Shane killed him.” Anna shook her head. Of course he had.

“His group, I mean.” She could see the gears turning in his brain as her words sunk in and his face paled. “They found me.”

“Anna—”

“37 days,” she said. “I was with them for 37 days when Marley and her group found us. Daryl was right.” Anna reached up and grabbed the bullet around her neck. “They weren’t looking to make friends.” Glenn’s hand tightened around Anna’s until her fingers started to tingle.

“Anna—”

“Don’t,” she cut him off again, sighing heavily. “Don’t say you’re sorry. Don’t pity me. Just don’t.” She pulled her hand from his and took a step away, wrapping her arms around herself. She hadn’t felt quite so vulnerable in a while – not even with Andrea or Marley.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Glenn asked, stepping back into her space. Anna shook her head. There was nothing he could do.

*

After she and Glenn were relieved by Carol and Axel – a survivor from the prison – Anna made her way back to her cell. On her way there, she stopped at Marley’s cell.

The woman was sitting on the bed, staring at her elevated sprained ankle, clearly annoyed.

“Your friends seem nice,” Marley commented, not looking up at Anna.

Anna leaned her right shoulder against the cold metal bars, her arms crossed over her chest, careful not to put strain on the stitches in her left forearm.

“Why didn’t you let me tell them about Fort Benning?” Anna asked, quiet enough for no one else to hear.

Marley looked up at that, clenching her jaw, her eyes hard.

“What good would it have done?”

“Now you sound like me.” Anna stepped further into the cell. “We’ll need the people and the guns if the Governor attacks. Fort Benning has both.”

“If you thought these people needed reinforcements so bad, why didn’t you say anything back on the road?” Marley challenged, sitting a little straighter in her bed.

“I figured you had a reason for not telling them. I want to know what that is now.”

“Well, for one thing, the Governor isn’t going to attack. And, to be honest, you may trust these people, but I don’t.”

“What makes you so sure he isn’t going to attack?” Anna asked, choosing to ignore Marley’s distrust.

“Why would he? It would be a waste of resources, and it wouldn’t be worth the cost in lives or bullets. These people don’t look like they have anything worth all of that.”

Anna shook her head. “What happened to the plan? We were going to go back to Fort Benning and bring them down on Woodbury for what the Governor did to our people.”

“We can’t travel like this. I can barely walk – we’d be screwed if anything were to happen. And we’re the only ones who could go,” Marley explained. “Anyone else would be gunned down.”

“We can’t wait,” Anna protested.

“If the Governor is going to do something, it isn’t going to be any time soon. We have to wait. We won’t be any good to anyone if we’re dead.”

“We still have to at least tell them about Fort Benning.”

“No. We’ll leave in secret when we’re able, but like I said, I don’t trust them enough to tell them where it is. Not yet. Especially after the shit the Governor pulled.”

“They aren’t like him,” Anna said softly, “But I understand. When we’re strong enough, we’ll go.” Though she disagreed, she understood – and she had to trust her friend. Marley had known those men much longer than Anna had, had cared for them far more than she had. Fort Benning and the people there were for Marley what Rick’s group was for Anna. Home.


	12. Chapter Eleven

“There ain’t nothin’ out here but mosquitoes and ants,” Daryl griped. His back was turned, fidgeting with his crossbow while his brother took a piss against a tree.

“Patience, little brother,” Merle sighed. “Sooner or later, a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path.”

Daryl rolled his eyes. _Such sage wisdom from a good-for-nothing asshole,_ he thought sarcastically. “Even so, that ain’t much food.”

“More than nothing.”

“I’d have better luck going through one of them houses we passed back on the turnoff,” Daryl suggested, checking the scope on his crossbow.

“Is that what your new friends taught you?” Merle hummed. “How to loot for booty?”

The mention of his friends sent an uncomfortable jolt through his chest. “We’ve been at it for hours. Why don’t we find a stream, try to look for some fish?”

Merle chuckled darkly. “I think you’re just trying to lead me back to the road, man. Get me over to that prison.”

Daryl considered his words for a moment. Maybe Merle was right. Maybe he was just trying to get back to them.

“They got shelter,” he muttered. “Food,” he continued. “A pot to piss in.”

“Anna.”

Daryl flinched at her name but elected to ignore his brother. “Might not be a bad idea.”

“For you, maybe. Ain’t gonna be no damn party for me.”

“Everyone will get used to each other,” Daryl assured, checking his scope again.

“They’re all dead.” Daryl’s breath caught in his throat and he lowered his crossbow. “Makes no difference.”

Guilt clawed at his chest. Had he left his friends – his family – to die?

“How can you be so sure?” He asked, as if Merle would alleviate the anxiety building in him.

“Right about now he’s probably hosting a housewarming party where he’s gonna bury what’s left of your pals,” Merle described, referring to the Governor. That was one thing Daryl could count on from his brother. He’d always tell him the truth. “Let’s hook some fish,” Merle sighed. “Come on.”

*

The two walked for about thirty minutes in silence before Merle decided he didn’t like the quiet.

“Smells to me like the Sawhatchee Creek,” he commented, stepping over a protruding root.

Daryl shook his head. “We didn’t go West enough. There’s a river down there—” he gestured to the water he could just barely see through the trees, “—it’s got to be the Yellow Jacket.”

“You have a stroke, boy? We ain’t never even come close to Yellow Jacket,” Merle challenged.

“We didn’t go West.” Daryl insisted, “Just a little bit South. That’s what I think.”

“Know what I think?” Merle began. “I may have lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

“What do you want to bet?”

“I don’t want to bet nothing. It’s just a body of water. Why’s everything got to be a competition with you?” Daryl snapped.

“Whoa, whoa. Take it easy, little brother. Just trying to have a little fun here. No need to get your panties all in a bundle.”

Daryl was quickly realizing why he was being so short with his brother – aside from the fact that his brother grinded on Daryl’s last nerve, he was angry because Merle insisted on grinding on everyone’s last nerve, too. He hated to admit it, but Rick was right. Merle would put everyone at each other’s throats. It was just his personality.

Abruptly, Daryl’s thoughts on the matter were put on hold as the sound of crying filled the air.

“You hear that?”

“Yeah, wild animals gettin’ wild,” Merle said, brushing off his brother’s concern.

“No, it’s a baby.”

“Oh, come on. Why don’t you just piss in my ear and tell me it’s rainin’, too? That there’s the sound of a couple of coons makin’ love, sweet love. Know what I mean?”

Daryl ignored his brother and the two approached the river. There, on a bridge crossing the river, were two men fending off walkers, and Daryl had a decision in front of him. He hoped he made the right one this time.

“Jump!” Merle called, laughing. Daryl scowled at his brother. “What?” Merle asked with a stupid grin on his face. Daryl groaned and took off through the trees. “Hey, man!” Merle called. “I ain’t wasting my bullets on a couple of strangers that ain’t never cooked me a meal or felicitated my piece. That’s my policy,” Merle declared, following behind Daryl at a much slower pace. “You’d be wise to adopt it, brother.”

Daryl didn’t care what Merle thought, said, or did as he made it to the bridge, his boots slapping against the pavement as he pulled his crossbow off his shoulders. He steadied the weapon and aimed for the head of a walker pulling at the leg of one of the men. The arrow went through clean.

Daryl dropped his backpack next – he didn’t need it limiting his range of motion – and fired another arrow between the eyes of a blonde walker approaching him. He ripped the arrow from the walkers head. He needed to conserve his arrows. Daryl counted at least nine walkers in the immediate area; he wouldn’t have time to constantly reload. Not without cover.

He drove the arrow into the next closest walker.

“Come on, man. I’m trying to help you out! Cover me!” He called.

Not long after, he could hear gunfire as he continued towards a red car, where he could see two walkers surrounding a woman and her baby in a red hatchback. He could just barely make out a third climbing through the back.

He fired an arrow at the one on the hood of the car, then used the crossbow to bash in the head of the one at the driver’s window as he made his way around the vehicle. Dropping his crossbow to the ground, Daryl grabbed hold of the walker in the back and pulled hard until it fell at just the right spot for him to slam the trunk shut on its head. They’d have to forgive him for getting walker blood on their belongings.

A shout in Spanish caught Daryl’s attention, and he looked up to see another walker descending on him.

“Daryl! I got ya!” Merle called, aiming his revolver at the walker. He stepped out of the way, and the walker fell with ease.

The fight continued. Out of the corner of his eye, Daryl could see Merle lounging against a truck, watching idly as Daryl and the other man struggled with the slow trickle of walkers. It didn’t matter. They were winning without Merle.

Daryl dropped his last walker and looked over to see how the other man was fairing. It seemed the man had run out of bullets as he tried to keep the last walker at bay, his back to the side of the bridge. He pulled out his hunting knife and quickly plunged it into the walker’s head, pulling it out with a disgusting squelch. For good measure, he kicked the walker over the edge and watched it tumble into the water.

“Gracias,” the man said through panting breaths. Daryl nodded in response and turned back to Merle, only to see him sauntering up to the car.

Merle opened the backdoor and went to start rummaging through the strangers’ belongings. The man shouted in Spanish. Too casually, Merle pulled back the hammer of his revolver and pointed it over the door.

“Slow down, beaner. That ain’t no way to say thank you.” The man continued to plead with Merle in Spanish.

“Let ‘em go,” Daryl said.

Merle smiled and lowered his gun. “The least they can do is give us a enchilada or somethin’.” He bent over into the back seat to continue his search.

Daryl walked around the car, looking between the man and his brother. His decision made, he approached Merle and lifted his crossbow, tapping Merle on the back.

“Get out of the car.”

“I know you’re not talking to me, brother.” Daryl didn’t back down, and Merle, not taking his eyes off Daryl’s, straightened and backed away from the vehicle.

Daryl looked back at the man, still holding his weapon aloft.

“Get in your car and get the hell out of here,” he demanded. The guy didn’t move. “Go! Get in your car!”

The man finally jumped into action, gesturing for his son to join him. They got in and drove off. Daryl didn’t lower his crossbow immediately, the brothers glaring at each other as the tires squealed in the distance. Merle shoved the crossbow out of his face.

Without another word, Daryl stormed off, grabbing up his arrows as he passed the fallen walkers.

*

“The shit you doin’, pointin’ that thing at me?” Merle asked from behind as Daryl made his way through the woods, headed North-East.

“They were scared, man.”

“They were rude is what they were,” Merle countered. “Rude, and they owed us a token of gratitude.”

“They didn’t owe us nothin’.”

“You helping people out of the goodness of your heart? Even though you might die doing it?” He scoffed. “Is that something your Sheriff Rick taught you?”

“There was a baby!” Daryl snapped, turning back to his brother. They stopped and stood face to face.

“Oh, otherwise you would have just left them to the biters, then?”

“Man, I went back for you. You weren’t there. I didn’t cut off your hand, neither. You did that. Way before they locked you up on that roof. You asked for it.”

“You know—you know what’s funny to me? You and Sheriff Rick are like this now. Right?” Merle crossed his fingers together. “I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told him that we were planning on robbing that camp blind. I’m sure Anna would find that real heroic.”

“It didn’t happen.”

“Yeah, it didn't 'cause I wasn't there to help you.” Merle smirked.

“What, like when we were kids, huh? Who left who then?”

“What? Huh? Is that why I lost my hand?”

“You lost your hand 'cause you're a simple-minded piece of shit,” Daryl bit out, walking around his brother to leave.

“Yeah? You don't know!” Merle shouted, grabbing hold of Daryl’s shirt to stop him. The fabric ripped. Daryl tripped over his feet and fell to his knees, his back exposed. Merle stared at the long-jagged scars that crisscrossed over Daryl’s skin.

“I— I didn't know he was—”

“Yeah, he did. He did the same to you. That's why you left first,” Daryl muttered, pulling at the torn pieces of his shirt in a futile attempt to cover himself. He opted instead to reposition his backpack over the scars.

“I had to, man. I would have killed him otherwise.” Daryl began walking away from him. “Where you going?” Merle called.

“Back where I belong.”

"He's Korean,” Daryl retorted.

“Whatever,” Merle groaned. “Only one who would be alright with me bein’ there is Anna, and just barely.” He let out a sigh. “I just... can’t go with you.”

Daryl paused and looked back at his brother.

“You know, I may be the one walking away but you're the one that's leaving— again.” He took a few more steps in the direction of the prison.

“Like you left Anna?”

Daryl froze, the words hurting him more than any physical blow Merle could have inflicted. He hated that Merle was right. He’d spent all winter trying to find her, and the second she was right in front of him, he left her.

“And she just let you,” Merle continued.

“It wasn’t like that,” Daryl insisted quietly.

“Man, you don’t even know her anymore.”  
            “I know!” Daryl shouted. He knew painfully well just how much he didn’t know her anymore. She wasn’t the woman she’d been back on the farm. And she wasn’t the woman in her journal that kept her alive in his mind all through winter. He understood that as soon as he had laid eyes on her.

But it didn’t matter. She was alive. He had the chance to get to know her again, and he’d be damned if he just threw that away.

He strode away, determined not to let anything Merle said stop him this time.


	13. Chapter Twelve

In the morning Anna did what she always did – minus one or two things due to the limitations her arm set on her. She stretched, did fifty sit-ups, fifty squats, and jogged in place until she’d counted to a hundred. Normally, she’d also do pushups. Afterwards, she’d dress for the day and have breakfast – usually surrounded by people she didn’t particularly like. This was the biggest difference in her mind. Now, she ate surrounded by people she had missed for 227 days.

Everyone except T-Dog, Lori, Patricia, Jimmy, and Daryl. The last name hit her harder than the others for two different reasons. One, she cared for him a little more. Even after everything she’d been through, Anna still cared for him. Even after 227 days apart, her heart still fluttered the moment she laid eyes on him. Two, he had left. He hadn’t died like the others. He chose to leave. To walk away from the family these people were to him. To walk away from her.

And she had let him go.

That was probably the hardest part for her. Not the fact that he left – she understood why he had. But the fact that she had so willingly let him slip from her grasp all over again. And she regretted it.

“So, Anna, I’m taking Carl to clear the tombs – you in?”

Anna looked up from her now empty bowl to see Glenn standing over her, holding out a prison guard vest.

Now that Daryl was gone, and Rick was more than a little lost, Glenn was in charge. With his new-found authority, he had decided the group would remain at the prison rather than run from the threat of the Governor. He wasn’t willing to give up everything they had worked so hard for.

She gave a small smile and accepted the gear, excited for a distraction from her guilty thoughts. Anna noticed how angry Glenn seemed to be – and with good reason. After Anna shared her winter with him, Glenn had explained what the Governor had done to Maggie. What the Governor almost did. He needed a distraction, too.

*

“The tombs outside the boiler room are overrun again,” Glenn explained breathlessly as he walked through the open gate, followed by Carl and Anna.

“That whole section had been cleared,” Beth commented, shutting the gate behind them.

“It’s a steady stream of walkers.”      

Anna swiped at the sweat running down her face and leaned against the cool wall. She felt trapped in the guard vest, but she didn’t bother removing it. She was ready to go back to the tombs and keep trying.

“We’re wasting time,” Hershel sighed. “The Governor is supposedly on the way and we’re stuck in here with walkers.”

Anna laced her fingers through the thin silver chain around her neck, repositioning the bullet over the Kevlar vest. She glanced to Marley – who had been given her own set of crutches to move around in and was now seated with the others in the common area.

The others were certain that the Governor would retaliate, and Anna was inclined to agree with them. But she had promised Marley she would say nothing.

“Trapped between a rock and a hard place,” Carol sighed.

“For the last time, running is not an option,” Glenn seethed.

Carol huffed. “Glenn, if the tombs have filled up again, it may just be a matter of time before they push in here.”

“Or until some fence gives way.”

“What if one of them herds is passing through? Or settled?”

“Can’t handle that with just the few of us.”

Anna pursed her lips and side-eyed Marley, crossing her arms over her chest. They needed reinforcements. Marley shook her head slightly at Anna. _I promised…._

“Okay. All right, we need— we just need to scout the far side of the prison,” Glenn proclaimed. “Find out what’s going on.”

“You’re going out there?” Hershel asked.

“Take a car and make it quick,” Glenn assured.

“I’ll drive,” Axel offered.

“No, you stay here. Help with the fortifications. I’ll take Maggie.”

There was a beat of silence.

“You sure she’s up for that?” Hershel challenged. Maggie had been isolating herself since their return from Woodbury. Glenn said nothing and walked away.

Anna pushed off the wall and strode over to the cage, where they kept the weapons.

“I’m taking watch,” she declared, picking up a rifle and heading for the tower. She heard the sound of crutches following behind her, and knew it was Marley. She found herself exasperated by the thought of talking to Marley again, and felt guilt seep into her chest.

They remained silent until they made it out onto the cat walk. Marley spoke first.

“You ever miss the good old days?” She asked. “Back when our biggest issue was paying rent on time. When you were worried about having a high enough GPA and not how many bullets were left?”

The two stared out at the tree line, squinting past the sun just passing the halfway point through the sky.

Marley sighed heavily. “Life seemed simpler than.”

“It was easier, not simpler.”

“What’s the difference?”

Anna didn’t look away from the horizon, but she could feel Marley’s eyes on her, assessing her like she always seemed to do these days. Waiting for Anna’s face to betray what she was thinking, like it always used to do.

“It’s simple survival now, but surviving’s not easy,” Anna explained, reaching up with her left hand to tug gently at the chain around her neck, the bullet clanking lightly against her bracelet.

“You know…” Marley trailed off. “Never mind.”

Anna rolled her eyes and glanced at her friend. “No, go ahead.”

Marley huffed. “I’ve been curious about that bracelet. You didn’t have that before the end of the world, now it’s the one thing you keep on you at all times - except your inhaler and that bullet around your neck.”

Anna reached down with her left hand and felt the puffer in her pocket, assuring herself it was still there, then looked at the silver-plated bracelet. It was probably a miracle she still had it. But, for 37 days she didn’t.

_"What’s this? Shiny,” the man grinned as he unclasped the bracelet from around Anna’s wrist. She was too out of it and in too much pain to fight back. The last thing she remembered was the butt of a gun heading straight for her face, and she could feel something cold and sticky tickling her forehead._

_"May you live all the days or your life – Jonathan Swift. How cute. Your daddy give this to you?”_

_Anna reached out, trying to take the bracelet back, but he pulled it away, taunting her. She tried to sit up, to get a better angle on the bracelet just out of her grasp, when a stinging pain radiated from between her thighs._

_She let out a whimper, too weak to scream. She fell forward, her hip digging into the ground and her forehead pressed to the cold dirt, her body twisted painfully. She stared at the ground, feeling the Earth beneath her, desperately trying to deny the truth._

_"Give it back,” she cried._

Looking back, Anna knew it wasn’t just the bracelet she was pleading to be returned.

It hadn’t been her first time – that had been given to a boy in another life. But there was something fundamentally different when one couldn’t and wouldn’t say yes. It wasn’t just her bracelet they took from her that day, or the following days until a group of soldiers happened along. It was something no one could just give back. Something she would have to take back herself. Her dignity.

“Who gave it to you?” Marley asked.

It took Anna a second to realize Marley wasn’t asking her about intangible things like dignity. She was asking about a bracelet.

“Anderson gave it to me, before he died.” She ran her fingers over the silver plate, feeling the grooves of the words. She had memorized every scratch and dent in the metal. It was comforting. “I’m still trying to figure out what it means,” she sighed. “To me, at least.”

*

A couple of hours had passed when Marley decided Anna was wasting her time sitting on watch. They’d seen nothing more than a few dozen walkers and Rick wandering in and out of the tree line, seeming to look for something.

“Nothing’s gonna happen,” Marley assured, ushering Anna to the door that led back to the cell block.

After their talk – after allowing herself to recall the first day with Randall’s group – Anna felt lighter. She noticed that every time she allowed herself to feel, to remember, she felt just a little bit better – after feeling absolutely terrible, of course, but that feeling always slowly ebbed away.

“Alright, alright.” Anna laughed, a real laugh, holding her hands up in surrender, the rifle slung over her shoulder. She reached out for the door handle, smiling over her shoulder at her friend. The moment her fingers brushed the cool metal the air filled with rapid gunfire.

“Get down!” Anna screamed, shoving Marley to the floor. Anna crouched low, pulling the rifle in front of her. She cast her eyes about, wildly searching out the others.

In the court yard, she could see Carol tucked beneath Axel, a spray of bullets embedding themselves in his body. Carl and Beth had taken cover behind some bleachers before they sprinted across the courtyard in favor of a tower. Anna couldn’t see Hershel, Rick, Michonne, Maggie, or Glenn.

“Marley go inside. Protect Judith,” Anna commanded, turning back to her friend. Marley stared at her for a moment, her eyes wide in shock. “Now!” She snapped, grabbing a fistful of Marley’s shirt and dragging her towards the door. “Get inside now!” Marley finally complied and crawled into the safety of the prison.

Anna turned her back to the door and leaned against it, holding the rifle to her chest like a security blanket. She took deep steadying breaths. With a final inhale, she looked out over the field and saw two men standing at a silver truck, firing into the courtyard.   There was a third man hidden in the tree line, firing toward where she had last seen Rick speaking with Hershel, and a fourth in the guard tower across the catwalk from her.

There were two ways into the guard tower. One way was via the catwalk, where she was. The other was through the courtyard – that was the only logical explanation for how he had gotten up there. Why he hadn’t fired at Anna and Marley was beyond her. But she didn’t care.

Anna pushed herself to her feet and ran across the platform and around the outside of the tower until she was behind the man who was firing at her friends. She raised her gun to take him out when a hail of bullets rained down on her, forcing her to duck behind the wall.

She peered through the glass to see the man had turned around to face her. She needed to use her surroundings to her advantage. She’d have to lure the man onto the catwalk where the other gunmen couldn’t fire at her.

“Come on!” Anna called, crawling back the way she’d come around the tower. She heard his footsteps against the grate as he followed her. _So, he’s asshole and he’s also stupid,_ Anna thought.

The moment Anna saw him step around the corner, she shoved the butt of her gun into his stomach. He groaned in pain and surprise, but grabbed hold of her rifle, tearing it from her hands and throwing it to the side.

Anna jumped back, aiming a kick to his crotch. He doubled over and howled in pain, dropping his own rifle. Anna dove for her gun, but he recovered in time to wrap his arms around her neck from behind.

_Shit!_

She threw her head back into his nose and rammed her elbow into his solar plexus, but his grip around her only tightened.

_Shit. Shit. Shit._ Anna was running out of options and oxygen as she clawed at his forearms. Her body was going numb and her hands dropped to her side. She searched her fading brain for an idea.

Then she grabbed the inhaler from her pocket and squeezed her eyes shut as she sprayed the medicine into the man’s face.

“Fuck! You bitch!” He shrieked, dropping his arms to rub at his eyes. Anna fell forward, her hands scraping against the grate.  “I’m gonna kill you!”

Anna looked about desperately for some way to defend herself. The rifles a few feet away were her only options, and she scrambled for them, hearing him stumbling after her.

She wrapped her fingers around the first rifle and rolled onto her back, aiming the gun at him. His side arm was drawn as he towered over her.

“You ain’t got it in you,” he sneered.

“Wanna bet?”

Two more gunshots joined the rest.

*

Anna stared blankly at the blue sky above her. She did a mental check of her body. The only source of pain she found was from around her neck and the bullet hole in her left arm – she’d torn the stitches. Aside from that, she was fine. She was alive. She couldn’t say the same for the Woodbury man lying lifeless beside her, a bullet in his chest.

For whatever reason, Anna couldn’t bring herself to move. Not even when the sound of gunfire stopped, or when the sound of a vehicle crashing through the fences filled her ears.

Anna turned to look at the man in question. He stared back at her, his eyes empty. He was a person. A living, breathing person. Until she took that away. But the guilt. It was eating up her insides like acid. And she smiled. Not because she killed someone – that would be horrible – but because she gave a shit that she had.

She told Glenn that maybe the old Anna was dead. Maybe she was right.  And maybe she was coming back to life.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

After a few more minutes of staring at the man’s corpse, Anna rose to her feet. She checked her body again for any injury and came back with the same prognosis – a bruised neck, the chain of her necklace leaving an angry red imprint on her skin, and torn stitches. She would live.

With a huff, she picked up the second rifle. She tilted her head to the side as she looked down at the Woodbury soldier. She’d shot him in the heart, and he’d died almost instantly. She raised one of her rifles and pulled the trigger, a bullet lodging itself in the man’s temple.

“Anna!” Her head swiveled around at the sound of her name, and her eyes landed on Glenn in the courtyard. He was shielding his eyes past the sun as he looked up at her on the catwalk. Behind him, Maggie and Beth were leading Hershel back inside, followed by Carol, Michonne and Carl. “Are you alright?”

Anna grimaced but nodded. “I’m alive.” The words held more weight than she had meant them to – if Glenn had recognized the double meaning, he didn’t show it.

He nodded to her. “Rick’s gonna need help getting back up here,” Glenn explained, readjusting the rifle slung over his shoulders. “You up for more shooting?”

Anna allowed herself to grin as she nodded her agreement.  She made her way to the other side of the tower, where the Woodbury soldier had taken perch to try and kill her friends.

She settled at the corner of the bars and lifted the gun to peer through the scope. She caught sight of Rick using the butt of his rifle to fend off the steady stream of walkers. He must have been out of bullets. Anna easily loaded her gun and fired a shot at a walker coming up behind him.

Rick glanced up at her and gave her a quick nod before continuing on. She allowed herself a brief smile before she readjusted her stance and aimed again.

Her aim landed on a female walker headed away from Rick. Anna frowned through the scope and scanned the area for an explanation when her breath caught in her throat. Directly in her cross-hairs was the face of a man she’d never thought she would see again.

Daryl had returned.

*

After Rick, Merle, and Daryl had made it into the court yard, Anna and Glenn continued to clear the field, both unwilling to head back inside. They knew that by morning, the field would be filled again if they didn’t fix the gates, but they were both unwilling to face the reality of the group’s situation.

Once the last walker fell, Anna and Glenn met in the courtyard, standing over Axel’s bullet riddled body.

“We may not be able to bury him yet, but we can at least keep his body safe,” Anna suggested. She tilted her head as she stared at his tranquil face. “It’s too bad - I kind of liked him.”

“Let’s move him,” Glenn agreed, stooping down to grab his ankles. Anna wrapped her hands under his shoulders and hauled him up. She grunted as they lifted him off the ground. He was heavier than he looked.

They carried him over to the side of the building, where they knew his corpse would remain out of the sun until they were able to put him in the ground. Glenn covered him in a blanket and stood back to stare down at their fallen friend.

“Daryl’s back,” Glenn muttered, setting his hands on his hips. “So is Merle.”

“Merle’s not so bad,” Anna sighed, rubbing her shoulder. It was sore from all the shooting. Glenn scoffed, and Anna rolled her eyes. “If you can get past the fact that he’s an asshole who tried to kill you and Michonne,” Anna conceded.

“Right.” Glenn ran his hand down his face. He looked as exhausted as Anna felt.

She clapped him on the shoulder.

“Come on, Rhee. Let’s go in and deal with our problems head on.”

“That’s easy for you to say - Merle’s your buddy,” Glenn groaned.

Anna snorted at the assertion. But she knew he was kind of right.

“Well, he probably saved my life when one of you shot me.”

“Wait, what?” Glenn stared astonished at her. “One of _us_ shot you?”

“Yeah. Whoever was laying cover fire on your first attack of Woodbury - how did you think I got shot?”

“I thought someone from Woodbury shot you… Daryl’s gonna feel pretty bad when he finds out he shot you,” Glenn sighed.

Anna gaped at Glenn. “Maybe… we don’t tell Daryl.”

They continued to stand there for a long moment in silence.

“Are you mad that Daryl left?” Glenn asked finally.

Anna furrowed her brow in confusion.

“No,” she said firmly.

Glenn thought it over before he nodded.

“Why don’t you have Hershel take a look at your arm,” he said, gesturing to the dried blood that ran down her left arm. Anna nodded her agreement and turned to leave when he caught her by the elbow. She looked back at him.

“Hey,” he said, looking in her eyes. “I’m glad you’re alive.”

They stared at each other for a long time. Finally, a smile spread across Anna’s face and she nodded, taking a deep breath, feeling the air fill her lungs.

“Me too.”

*

She’d been on watch for about two hours, her legs dangling over the side of the catwalk, her chin resting on the bottom bar of the railing. She periodically peered through binoculars into the dark tree line. The sun had set soon after Glenn had left her to speak with the others. He had come out briefly to bring her a bowl of hot noodles and to tell her that Rick didn’t want to make any decisions until the morning. Now, she was alone in the darkness, her only company the Woodbury soldier still lying across the catwalk.

Anna was lost in thought, staring idly at the dark horizon and playing with the bullet hanging around her neck, when she heard the distant sound of the door to the prison opening and boots walking down the grated bridge that connected the main building to the guard tower. There was a small pause before those boots stepped over the Woodbury soldier and continued towards her.

She sighed and scooted back so that her back was pressed against the cool concrete wall. Her watch had ended, and she would be allowed to finally get some rest.

Anna looked up, squinting through the dark to get a good look at the woman standing over her. Carol stared down at her, a warm smile on her face.

“Go get some rest, Anna,” Carol ordered gently, holding her hands out to help Anna rise to her feet. Anna declined the offered help and stood on her own.

“It’s been quiet,” Anna said, handing Carol the binoculars and rifle. “They probably won’t attack again tonight.” She stepped towards the railing and gripped the cool metal in her hands. “This was a victory for them - they’ll celebrate. But they’ll be back.”

“And we’ll be ready,” Carol assured. “Or we’ll be gone.”

Anna looked to the woman, considered her words for a moment, and then made her decision. Tomorrow, when the group gathered to decide their fate, she would tell them about Fort Benning. Promise be damned.

*

In her cell, Anna sat on the thin mattress, untying her boots and throwing them under the bunk. She heaved a sigh and pressed her socked feet against the cool cement. She leaned back, her arms holding her up, and breathed deeply, eyes shut. She rolled her neck and winced as her bones cracked.

Anna knew that eventually she would have to face Daryl. That didn’t mean she couldn’t avoid him as long as possible to try and find the right words. What was she supposed to say? _Sorry for letting you walk away after we finally found each other again._ She scoffed at the thought. It’s not like it had been her decision. That didn’t mean she didn’t feel guilty for just letting him go.

“Hey.”

Anna’s eyes snapped open, and she turned her head to look at the opening to her cell. Standing there, illuminated by the dim lantern set on the edge of the cells sink, was Daryl. As if her thoughts had conjured him.

“Hey,” she replied. She winced at how scratchy the word left her throat.

Daryl ducked his head and rubbed his neck. “Can I come in?”

Anna nodded and scooted over on the mattress, giving him more space to sit down if he wanted to. It seemed he did. He immediately sat beside her, keeping a few inches of space between them. Anna sat straighter, leaving her left hand resting in that space, feeling the warmth radiating off his skin.

They were quiet for a long time. There was so much to say and nowhere to start. Anna worked her jaw, trying desperately to find a good place to begin. Whenever she found something viable, a nagging voice in her head told her it didn’t matter, that he wouldn’t care. That it was useless. Too much had changed between them, and there was no going back to the way things were.

Then Daryl spoke in that easy drawl of his, and just like that, all of the pain and regret she had felt since he left melted away.

“Sorry I’m late.”


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Anna and Daryl spent the rest of the night sitting together in her cell, alternating between comfortable silence and reminiscing about the easier days on the farm when their biggest threat was Shane and a barn full of walkers. Daryl allowed Anna to steer the conversation, both happy to avoid the topic of the days they were apart. Until Anna gave in to her curiosity and asked him.

“What made you change your mind?”

He hadn’t said anything for a moment, choosing his words carefully when he finally spoke.

“I’m finally part of somethin’. I was stupid for almost givin’ that up.”

Anna knew that eventually there would be harder topics to discuss. But, for now, she could enjoy his presence. For now, she could feel at peace.

*

“We’re not leaving,” Rick declared, checking over a rifle. He stood in the center of the cell block, surrounded by the others who were scattered around the first and second levels. Anna was on the first level with Marley, having her wound restitched by Hershel.

"We can’t stay here,” Hershel urged, tying off the last stitch. He shook his head as he began wrapping fresh gauze around the wound.

“What if there’s another sniper? A wood pallet won’t stop one of those rounds,” Maggie insisted.

“We can’t even go outside,” Beth added.

“Not in the daylight,” Carol offered.

Glenn spoke up. “Rick says we’re not running, we’re not running.”

Anna was inclined to agree. There was no guarantee the Governor would leave them alone even if they did leave.

“No, better to live like rats,” Merle interjected, leaning into the gate that separated the common area from the cell block. He’d been locked out of the cell block last night, and everyone seemed perfectly fine with keeping it that way.

“You got a better idea?” Rick asked.

“Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day,” he said. “But we lost that window, didn’t we? I’m sure he’s got scouts on every road out of this place by now.”

“We ain’t scared of that prick,” Daryl grunted.

Anna shook her head. _Fear is what keeps you alive,_ she thought.

“Y’all should be,” Merle warned. “That truck through the fence thing, that’s just him ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he’s got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shoot, he could just starve us out if he wanted to.”

Everyone stared at Merle through the bars. They all knew he was right.   They just didn’t want to hear it.

“Let’s put him in the other cell block,” Maggie suggested.

“No, he’s got a point,” Daryl conceded.

Maggie turned back to Merle. “This is all you. You started this!”

“What’s the difference whose fault it is? What do we do?” Beth asked, stepping around Carol.

“I said we should leave,” Hershel griped, tying off the bandage around Anna’s arm and turning to face the group. “Now Axel’s dead. We can’t just sit here.”

Rick turned to walk away without another word.

“There’s another way,” Anna called, her voice ringing out. Rick paused and looked at her. They all looked at her.

“Anna, no,” Marley begged.

“Merle’s right, the Governor has guns and the people,” Anna explained, ignoring the heated glare Marley was shooting her way. “We can too. Fort Benning.”

“Fort Benning is gone,” Rick said.

Anna shook her head, taking a step forward. “It’s not.”

“Anna—” Marley warned.

“You really think keeping it a secret any longer is a good idea, Marley?” Anna snapped, turning back to her friend. “Cause the way I see it, we’re all stuck here, and we’ll die here if we don’t get the reinforcements.”

Rick stepped towards her, holding out his hand.

“Are you telling me Fort Benning is still standing?”

“It is,” Anna assured, facing Rick. “It’s where I’ve been most of the winter.”

“But, those guys from Randall’s group—” Glenn started, stopping himself when he saw the way Anna flinched. “They said it fell. That they saw it overrun,” he continued slowly.

“Most of it is gone, yes - but they took back a part of it. And they’ve got everything we need,” Anna explained, shaking her head. “Marley and I can go—”

“No. No way,” Daryl snapped from the second level. Anna looked up to see him staring down at her. “You heard Merle. The Governor’s got people watching every road. They’ll capture you—”

“Or worse,” Maggie agreed.

Anna turned back to Rick, he was the one she needed to convince.

“Rick, this may be our only option,” she pleaded.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”  he asked, his voice harsh. Rick looked between Anna and Marley, a crease forming between his brows as he started losing control of his anger.

“I barely know you people,” Marley sneered. “And the last time I told a stranger where my _family_ was, he killed them.” Marley stared back at Rick, unfazed by the pure rage in his eyes.

Rick’s lip twitched up into a snarl.

“Maybe if you had told us sooner, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” He turned away from them and stormed off, but not before he looked back at them. “No one is going anywhere - we can’t spare the people or the resources,” he declared. “We’ll just have to figure somethin’ else out,” he grumbled as he yanked the cell block door open and shoved past Merle.

*

“How could you do that?” Marley demanded, following Anna into her cell. “Just tell them—”

“To be honest, I don’t even know how I could’ve kept it from them,” Anna retorted. She knew Marley would be upset, but she thought the woman would at least see the sense in sharing the information when things had turned so dire. “You’re trapped here too - or did you think the Governor was just going to spare you?”

"That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” Anna asked, whirling around to face her friend. “We’re at war, Marley - we’re outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered. We need Fort Benning.”

“ _We_ ,” Marley sneered. “You say that like you aren’t a part of Fort Benning. Like we didn’t take care of you all winter. We fed you, clothed you, saved you from those monsters.”

“Yes, you did all that,” Anna snapped. “But, we’re here now. You and me and everyone I’ve cared about and missed and don’t want to see dead.”

Marley shook her head, incredulous.

“So, you’d risk the lives of the people _I_ care about and _I_ miss, and _I_ don’t want to see dead?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “With Fort Benning, there’d be no risk.”

“What makes you think the Colonel would even agree?” Marley challenged.

“Did you forget that   The Governor gunned down those men - _your_ friends?” Anna jabbed her finger into Marley’s chest.

Marley swatted her hand away and glared back at her.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. You heard what Rick said - no one is leaving.”

Anna nodded. “Not yet,” she replied, her voice hushed so that no one else would hear. “But, when you can walk, we’re sticking to the original plan and sneaking out of here, and we will bring back reinforcements.”

Marley scoffed. “Right, ‘cause you’ve been so good at following through so far.” And she turned on her heel and stormed out of the cell, stalking past Daryl as he walked in.

“Trouble in paradise?” Daryl asked, looking over his shoulder as he leaned against the wall.

“That obvious?” Anna asked, scrunching up her face in displeasure.

“The whole damn prison heard your little spat,” Daryl teased, a small smirk on his lips. “Was she always such a bitch?”

Anna groaned and ran a hand down her face. She was exhausted, and she still had to go on watch later.

“Not always,” Anna sighed, resting one hand on her hip as she rubbed her neck with the other. She winced as she brushed against the bruised skin of her neck and dropped her hand.

“Why didn’t you say anything about Fort Benning sooner?”

Anna breathed deeply, squeezing her eyes shut.

“I promised Marley I wouldn’t. She was convinced the Governor wouldn’t attack.” And she regretted that now.

“Well, she was wrong.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re still not going.”

Anna looked at Daryl. His arms were crossed over his chest and he leveled her with a stern gaze. It was as if he was scolding a child, and she did not like that. Her hackles raised as she glared back at him.

“We may not have any other choices,” Anna bit out.

“So, we’ll send someone else.”

“Anyone else would be gunned down at the gate.”

“Do you want what happened to Glenn and Maggie to happen to you? Or Marley?” He challenged.

Anna was quickly growing tired of the back and forth. Realizing he wasn’t going to back down on his stance, she switched tactics. She paused for a moment, as if she was contemplating his words, and averted her eyes. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she would if it kept him and the others safe.

“You’re right,” Anna sighed finally. She worked her jaw to play up her frustration. “You’re right,” she repeated. “But I don’t know what else we can do.”

Daryl stepped into her space. Her flinch did not go unnoticed.

“You said Fort Benning was where you were _most_ of the winter,” he began, his unspoken question hanging in the air between them like lead.

Anna shook her head, taking a step back until she was pressed against the sink. Her heart was pounding in her ears now. She didn’t want to talk about that. She couldn’t. She forced herself not to wrap her arms around her body, tried to keep her face neutral.

“Anna,” he said, his voice softening. “Where were you after the farm fell? Why didn’t you go back to the highway?”

“I was lost,” she whispered. She winced at the way her voice shook. Anna fished around in her mind for a way to change the subject to anything else. Anderson was a less painful topic of conversation. She knew that she had been able to tell the truth to Andrea and Glenn and Marley, but Daryl was different.

He reached out to her, his warm fingers just barely brushing against her skin, and she pulled back, slipping around the sink to press herself against the wall.

“Don’t,” she breathed.

Daryl’s eyes hardened with hurt, and she cast her gaze to the ground, staring instead at his dirty boots. She couldn’t look at him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Anna didn’t know how to explain to him why she couldn’t let him touch her without telling him everything. She wasn’t ready for that conversation. She didn’t know if she’d ever be.

“Guys!” Carl’s voice rang out through the cell block. “It’s Andrea!”


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Anna peered through the scope of her rifle as Andrea made her way up the dirt path behind an armless walker. Everyone took up positions around the courtyard, weapons aimed and ready. Anna scanned the tree line, searching for any sign of a possible attack.

“Are you alone?” Rick demanded as he ran for the gate with Daryl, Merle, and Michonne covering him.

“Open the gate!” Andrea called.

“Are you alone?” Rick demanded again.

"Rick!”

Daryl pulled the gate to the side, allowing just enough room for Andrea to squeeze through without her pet walker. The second she was through the gate, Rick cornered her against the fence.

"Hands up, turn around! Turn around now!” He ordered, forcing the woman to face the fence as he patted her down. During the search, a walker came up to the fence to try and take a bite out of her face. Andrea let out a shriek, and Rick yanked her back.

“Get down on the floor,” he said. Though, at this point it was just pretense, as she was already on her knees.

He continued his search, while everyone else’s eyes remained trained on their surroundings. They weren’t about to risk being caught unawares again. From Anna’s peripheral, she could see Rick pull Andrea’s bag from her body before he hauled her to her feet.

_What a warm welcome,_ Anna thought briefly as everyone slowly started to relax their posture, staring at the woman who had just walked back into their lives as if she would be welcomed back with open arms.

But things change when you’re at war.

*

Inside, there was a warmer welcome for Andrea - though still tense. Andrea hugged Carol to her, sighing with relief.

“After you saved me, we thought you were dead,” Carol explained. Andrea looked around over Carol’s shoulder, and her eyes landed on Hershel.

“Hershel, my God,” Andrea breathed, pulling away from Carol. No one seemed willing to give an explanation as to why he only had one leg. Andrea looked around at the people in the room. “I can’t believe this,” she said before she turned fully to Rick. “Where’s Shane?”

Anna dug the toe of her boot into the floor, gripping her rifle. Andrea had idolized Shane, and   Anna wondered how she would react knowing that Rick had killed him. But, no one said a word.

“And Lori?”

Rick bowed his head, but Hershel was the one to finally speak.

“She had a girl. Lori didn’t survive.”

“Neither did T-Dog,” Maggie added.

“I’m so sorry,” Andrea whispered. She called out to Carl, ready to share her condolences, but he gave her a hard stare, clearly uninterested in hearing it. “Rick, I—” She cut herself off as Rick took a step away from her. They didn’t need well wishes and sorrowful apologies.

“You all live here?” Andrea asked, her voice betraying her distaste for their situation.

“Here and the cell block,” Glenn explained.

Andrea looked to Glenn, then at the cell block where they slept.

“There?” She pointed. “Well, can I go in?”

Rick stepped in her path.

“I won’t allow that.”

She scoffed at him. “I’m not an enemy, Rick.”

“We had that field and courtyard. Until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up,” Rick stated.

Andrea furrowed her brow, shaking her head.

“He said you fired first.”

“Yeah, well, your boyfriend’s an asshole,” Anna deadpanned from where she leaned against the railing of the stairs. Andrea shot her a look over her shoulder.

“He killed an inmate who survived in here,” Hershel offered. Andrea covered her mouth, trying to absorb the information.

“We liked him,” Daryl began. “He was one of us.” Anna noticed the way he looked at Andrea, the double meaning in his words. _And you’re not._

Andrea shook her head again. “I didn’t know anything about that. As soon as I found out, I came,” she insisted. “I didn’t even know you were in Woodbury until the second shoot-out.”

“That was days ago,” Glenn sighed.

Andrea looked to him. “I told you, I came as soon as I could.” She looked between Glenn and Maggie, pleading with them to understand.

“In her defense,” Anna sighed, “I didn’t know you were in Woodbury until the second shoot-out either.” Daryl shot her a look, warning her to be quiet.

No one said a word after that, and Andrea was starting to get irritated.

“I don’t get it. I left Atlanta with you people and now I’m the odd man out?”

“He almost killed Michonne, and he would have killed us,” Glenn said evenly.

“And those soldiers we were with,” Marley started, taking a threatening step towards Andrea, her eyes narrowed, “he killed them, too.”

“With his finger on the trigger,” Andrea snapped, pointing at Merle. “Isn’t he the one who kidnapped you?” She asked, turning back to Glenn. “Who beat you?” She seemed to realize she wasn’t winning this debate and she groaned, putting her face in her hands. “Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out.”

“So, he’s Philip now,” Anna observed.

“There’s nothing to work out.” Rick stated simply, ignoring the comment.  “We’re gonna kill him. I don’t know how or when, but we will.”

“We can settle this. There is room at Woodbury for all of you,” Andrea declared, looking to the others.

Merle chuckled. “You know better than that.”

“What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?” Hershel inquired. “Did he say that?”

“No.”

“Then why did you come here?”

Andrea scratched her hairline before dropping her hands to her side, exasperated.

“Because he’s gearing up for war. The people are terrified. They see you as killers. They’re training to attack.”

“I’ll tell you what. Next time you see _Philip_ , you tell him I’m gonna take his other eye,” Daryl cut in.

“We’ve taken too much shit for too long,” Glenn sneered. “He wants a war? He’s got one.”

"Rick?” Andrea asked, turning to the man. “If you don’t sit down and try to work this out, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. He has a whole town,” she said, as if scolding a toddler for fighting. “Look at you. You’ve lost so much already. You can’t stand alone anymore.”

“You want to make this right, get us inside,” Rick said, circling her.

“No.”

“Then we got nothing to talk about,” Rick said, storming into the cell block. There was no more room for negotiation, but that didn’t mean Andrea was done.

“There are innocent people. Anna—” Andrea looked to her. “You knew them too.”

Anna stared back at Andrea.  She wanted to say that there were innocent people here, too. But were the lives of the Woodbury civilians worth any less than theirs?   Anna left the room without replying.

*

*

Andrea didn’t stay long after that, just long enough to catch up with everyone and meet Judith. She needed to get back to Woodbury, and to the man that was causing them an indefinite amount of problems.

From the guard tower, Daryl watched Andrea drive away, his eyes scanning the tree line and a gun in his hands. But his mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t get Anna’s face out of his head. The way she had looked at him.

_"Don’t,” she breathed, her back pressed into the wall as if she hoped it would swallow her. She looked at him for a second before she cast her eyes to the ground, unwilling to see whatever was in his face._

_He didn’t understand. He wanted to understand - needed to._

_Her mouth opened, but no words came out._

“Hey.”

Daryl flinched at the sudden sound, and turned to see Marley limping over to him, having given up on the crutches already.

“Mind if I join you?” She asked, taking up the spot beside him.

He shrugged at her. “Sure.”

There was a long silence filled only by the sound of crickets chirping and walkers groaning.

“You’re not very talkative, are you?” Marley teased. “I can see where Anna picked up the trait now.”

Daryl had noticed how quiet Anna had been, how reserved. She seemed more occupied with observing and thinking and was just a little more difficult to read. Merle was right; she wasn’t the same person she was on the farm. But she was still Anna, and that’s all that mattered in the long run.

“So, you’re the crossbow guy. We haven’t gotten a chance to talk, yet.” Marley leaned on the railing, gazing at Daryl. Her face was passive, but her eyes were assessing. “Anna told me a little bit about you. You saved her life.”

Daryl wasn’t sure how to react to that. He hadn’t expected Marley to bring that up, but he found himself wondering what Anna had told her best friend about him. Had she told Marley they kissed? He knew girls gossiped, but Anna didn’t seem the type - especially not now.

“She seems to always need saving,” Marley sighed, turning her gaze out at the horizon.

Daryl narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t say that. She can take care of herself.”

Marley scoffed. “She hasn’t told you where she was before Fort Benning, has she?”

He said nothing.

This Marley was nothing like the woman Anna had described in her journal. The woman Anna had described was kind and caring and had been there through every up and down. Shared every laugh and tear with Anna. But Daryl could see what kind of person Marley really was, even if Anna couldn’t.

“You best stop ‘fore you say somethin’ you regret,” he warned, backing away from her.

“It’s just a shame you weren’t there to save her from those men. What was that kid’s name? Randall?” Marley frowned at Daryl. “They really did a number on her.”

Daryl clenched his jaw, glaring at the woman in front of him. Her words were like cement in his mind, slowly seeping into every crevice until he understood what she meant. He couldn’t breathe, her words echoing in his ears as she limped back into the prison.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Anna found Rick in his chosen cell, rocking Judith in his arms. He looked tranquil with his focus on his daughter, but Anna could see the storm raging on behind his eyes. From the short amount of time she’d been at the prison, and the few times she had spoken with him, she knew he was a wreck. They all were.

She knew he had noticed her arrival, but he seemed to be waiting for her to make the first move.

“Hey,” Anna called gently, leaning against the cool bars. “Can we talk?” He didn’t tear his eyes way from his daughter for longer than a second, but he nodded. “We need Fort Benning.”

“I won’t risk it,” he sighed.

"You don’t have to,” she insisted, taking a step further into the cell. She tried to keep her voice low. She didn’t want anyone else to hear them. “Marley and I will go.   You’ve done fine without us this far—”

“I won’t lose you, too.” Anna shut her mouth, furrowing her brow at him. “You’re family,” he said firmly, “and I don’t think Daryl could handle losing you again, either.”

Anna heaved a sigh.

“But,” Rick began, “don’t you ever keep information like that from us again.” Anna swallowed hard, clenching her jaw. “Family doesn’t lie to each other.”

As much as she had told herself that she was just withholding information, Anna knew that it had been wrong not to tell them, and she wished she had confessed sooner.

“Where were you before Fort Benning?”

The question caught her off guard. Rick was no longer looking at her; his eyes were once again on Judith. Their conversation had lulled her to sleep.

“Why does everyone want to know?” Anna muttered, casting her eyes to the ground. “It’s not important.”

“Whatever happened in the winter, it changed you,” he explained softly. “We’re worried. I’m worried.”

Anna stared at a patch in the floor that ran the length of the cell. Someone had seen something broken and tried to fix it. But underneath, it was still broken.

She shook her head, casting out the thoughts of broken things and the futility of trying to fix them.

“Anderson was bitten—” She started, curling her fingers over the bullet dangling around her neck, trying to keep the conversation on easier memories.

Rick saw through her like glass.

“You’ve already told me about that.” Anna flinched. “After that.”

Anna took a deep breath.

“I tried to make my way back to the highway - where we left the supplies for Sophia.” Her voice became clinical. Cold and distant. It seemed every time she was alone with someone, they wanted to know where she’d been, what she’d done, what had happened. She just wanted to forget, to move on, but they just wouldn’t drop it.

“Five miles out, I was intercepted by four men. They subdued me, blindfolded me, and took me back to their camp.” She could feel Rick’s eyes boring into her, but she didn’t look up. She refused to meet his eyes. Her grip on the bullet tightened.

“Daryl was right,” she whispered, a small bitter smile sliding onto her face. “Our women would’ve wished they were dead if those men ever found the farm.”

She turned her head and pointed at the thin scar running from her right temple to the top of her right cheek. “One of them gave me this. Because he thought it would be funny.”

“Anna—”

“You wanted to know,” she spat, cutting Rick off. “I was with them for 37 days. Most of the time they kept me blindfolded, so I never saw exactly how many were there. They took turns. Had their fun.” She looked up at him, her eyes heavy with grief and anger and disgust. “Is that what you wanted to know?”

There was silence, the space between them filled with tension. She could see the anger rippling through Rick.

“Where are they now?” He asked.

She had expected him to ask her how she got away. If she was alright. Not where those monsters were.

“Rotting on the forest floor,” she said simply. She forced herself to seem nonchalant. Her eyes betrayed her though, as Rick took a tentative step towards her. Anna stepped back, her eyes falling on Judith in his arms.

Judith was so pure. So innocent. Not like this old prison with its walls and its thousands of cracks. Not like this world crumbling around them. Not like Anna.

“I killed one of them,” she said, her voice cracking. She didn’t even remember where she had gotten the rock; but she could still feel the way it had felt in her hands when she came to and saw, for the first time, the bloody mess she had created out of the man’s face.

“Good,” Rick nodded.

“Don’t tell Daryl.”  

Rick furrowed his brow at her. 

“You haven’t told him? I know you were close. You were—”

Anna shook her head. “Please. I can’t—I’m not ready to tell him.”

“You shouldn’t be ashamed—”

“Logically, I know. It wasn’t my fault.” She sighed. “But, I—I need time. To deal with it.” She took a breath. “To be okay.”

Rick nodded at her, inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling slowly through his mouth. He was calming himself down.

“I won’t tell him,” he finally assured.

She felt relief flood her body and her muscles relax.

“Thank you.”

*

Anna leaned against the railing, staring down at the first level of the cell block where everyone was gathered. Beth sat on the ground, her voice serenading them in the dim light of a lantern. Everyone listened, bent over their bowls of noodles.

Carol strode into the cell block carrying a ceramic bowl, its contents steaming. She made her way up the stairs to the second level and headed for the door before she paused and spun around to face Anna.

“I was just going to take this to Daryl,” Carol explained, smiling at Anna. “He’s been out there for a few hours, and he won’t eat unless someone brings him something.”

Anna cocked a brow at Carol, the corner of her lips twitching up. That certainly sounded like Daryl. But Anna was wondering why Carol was telling her all of this. Until the woman stepped over to her and pressed the hot bowl into her hands.

“You look like you need some air,” Carol said easily.

Anna gave a tired smile before nodding, accepting the offer.

“Thanks.” She stepped around Carol and over to the door.

Outside, the breeze was cool against her skin. She filled her lungs with the fresh air, tainted as it was with the scent of the dead out in the field.

Daryl was standing on the far end of the catwalk, a rifle over his shoulder as he stared out into the night. A smile spread across her face at the sight of him. It was almost easy to forget how exhausted she was. Physically and emotionally. The tension in her body melted away with every step she took towards him.

He didn’t acknowledge her as she approached. She brushed it off as him being focused and held the bowl of noodles out to him. But he didn’t move. Didn’t even look at her. He kept his eyes on the dark horizon, seeming to stare at nothing.

“What happened before Fort Benning?” His voice was low. Strained. As if he was talking past a stone in his throat.

Anna’s fingers tightened around the bowl as she stared at him, her eyes wide. She could feel hot tears prickling at her eyelids. _Please, don’t ask me this._

“Randall’s group….” Daryl trailed off, his face pinched in pain.

Anna’s breath caught in her chest and the bowl slipped from her fingers. The noodles and juice splattered across her boots as the ceramic clattered against the catwalk. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to force words out, but she didn’t know what to say.

One tear escaped past her lids and down her cheek. She couldn’t bring herself to wipe it away, to move, to breathe.

Daryl turned his body to her, his eyes cast down at the ground, at the food she had spilled on her boots. She tilted her head back, staring at the stars in the night sky, and forced herself to take a deep shuddering breath.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Anna scrunched up her face at the phrase. She’d grown to hate it. She hated the way it sounded and the way it made her feel. Hollow and useless.

“I should’ve….”

There was a small whimper that filled the space between them, and she wasn’t sure if it was her or Daryl who had made the sound.

“Should’ve gets nothing done,” Anna said, allowing herself to look at him, his head still bowed. She remembered when he had said that to her so long ago in a dark room so far away.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

"What good would it have done?”  She asked. But she shook her head. She needed to be honest now. No more deflecting or lying. Just the truth. “I was afraid.”

“Of me?” He asked, his voice so small.

She swallowed hard past the lump in her throat and pushed on.

“No,” she said sternly. She reached out her hand and laid it against Daryl’s bare shoulder, drawing on the warmth in his skin. “I was afraid of myself.”

He looked up at her than, his blue eyes searching her face for clarity.

“I’m—” She cut herself off to take a steadying breath. “I’m ruined,” she whispered. But the words seemed wrong. She wracked her brain for a better description. Soiled. Broken. Disgusting. Utterly and wholly destroyed.

And then she thought of the prison with its patchwork walls. The cracks hidden under a layer of paint and lacquer. Anna squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him, gripping the railing to keep herself upright. Quite a bit of her wanted to believe that she was too far gone to ever be truly fixed. To believe that, like the prison, she could only cover up and hide from the damage done.

But, a small piece of her called out - screamed over the cacophony of guilt and self-loathing - _You’re wrong._

 A sob ripped from her throat and she opened her eyes, letting the tears fall freely.

“You’re wrong,” Daryl insisted, taking a cautious step towards her.

Anna laughed bitterly. “I know.” She wiped at the tears on her face and looked to him, her eyes still glistening. “I know. I just need time.”

“Take all the time you need,” he said after a long pause. “I ain’t goin’ anywhere. Unless you want me to.”

She shook her head.

 “No.” Anna stepped towards him, closing the distance between them so that they were mere inches apart. “I want you to stay.”

He nodded at her, taking in her face. She knew what he saw there. Anna had closed herself off for too long. But she was open now - she bared everything to him. She was tired of hiding from it all.

“Hug me,” she demanded, opening her arms to him.

He gave her a single nod and pulled her into him. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed the side of her face into his chest. She could feel his heart beat pounding against her cheek. Daryl buried his face in her hair.

“I’m okay with this,” she muttered, smiling at the way he squeezed her just enough.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Anna’s eyes snapped open, staring blindly at the dirty underside of the top bunk. Her breath was labored and sweat trickled down the side of her face.

“194.” She whispered, a shudder rippling through her body. “194.”  Anna took a long moment to steady her breathing, reminding herself of where she was and where she wasn’t. She was 194 days away from the monster in her dreams.

Anna sat up, using her itchy blanket to wipe the sweat from her skin. She turned and placed her bare feet against the cold, solid ground and a shiver ran up her spine. Standing, she went through her morning routine, feeling her muscles ache and her bones pop, reminding her that she was still alive. She relished it.

Dressed and calm, Anna stepped through the opening of her cell. She could just see the others over the railing, gathering for breakfast and conversing in the early morning. She smiled at the sight of Daryl cradling Judith and cooing at her.

She strolled down the stairs, an easy smile on her face, and leaned against the wall beside him.

“Little Ass-Kicker was bein’ fussy,” Daryl muttered, lightly bumping Anna’s hip with his own. Her chest warmed at the contact and at the way he looked at her. He was carrying on as if everything would be okay, and it gave her hope that it would be.

“Little Ass-Kicker? I thought her name was Judith,” Anna chuckled, tilting her head to see the girls chubby face. Judith only seemed to have eyes for Daryl. _It seems I have competition,_ Anna thought, her smile broadening.

“Carl named her that.”

“I like the name Judith. You know—” She began, reaching up to tuck Judith’s blanket under her chin. “— that was the name of Shakespeare’s sister.”

“Didn’t know that guy had a sister,” Daryl said, his brows knitting together in confusion.

“He didn’t,” she called over her shoulder with a small laugh as she strode away from him to get herself some breakfast. “It was just something a writer made up,” she clarified.

Anna found herself a clean bowl and dished up some white rice. Her lips twitched into a smirk before she laughed at herself.

“What’s so funny?” Merle asked, sauntering up beside her.

“Nothing. I just—” She laughed again at the memory playing out in her head. “When we went back to Atlanta to find you, I was going with Glenn to get a bag of guns from the street. He told me to ‘stay on him,’ and I said—” she stopped herself, giggling some more. “Like white on rice.”

Merle stared at her. “That was lame.”

Anna nodded her agreement, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Were you a failing comedian before all this?” Merle teased, pulling the bowl of rice from Anna’s hands. “Bad jokes get no food.”

Anna shook her head and made herself another bowl.

“I was in college before all this.” The smile didn’t completely drop from her face, but she was no longer fighting a fit of laughter. “I was going to be a writer.”

“What’s stopping you now?” Carol asked, appearing behind Anna.

Anna looked over her shoulder in surprise before she pursed her lips. She supposed nothing was stopping her. She had written in her journal quite often back on the farm. But back then, she’d been concerned with remembering. When Daryl had returned her journal, a little dirty and certainly well read, she had been actively trying to forget, and she hadn’t even touched the journal since tucking it under the mattress in her cell.

She wondered what she’d write in it now.

“Nothing, I guess,” she finally said, tilting her head to the side.

“Everyone!” Rick called, striding into the common area.

The group gathered around him to hear what he had to say. Had he decided what would happen? Had he decided to call on Fort Benning for support?

“Michonne, Carl and I are going on a supply run today,” he explained.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Beth asked. Daryl had relinquished Judith to the young girl, who seemed a natural caretaker.

Rick nodded. “It’s the safest option we’ve got,” he assured, his eyes lingering on Anna.

She pursed her lips before shoveling a spoonful of rice into her mouth. Rick had made it clear to her that he would not budge on the issue, so she wouldn’t push. It didn’t matter in the long run. Anna was already forming a plan.

“While we’re gone, Daryl’s in charge,” Rick stated with finality.  “We leave in twenty minutes.”

*

Twenty minutes later, everyone was standing outside, guns ready for an attack. Michonne drove the green Nissan into the court yard, while Carl and Rick carried three bags of supplies - enough to last them a week in case there was any issue.

Anna was standing in the courtyard, scanning the tree line, when Rick called her name. He walked up to her, hands on his hips. He seemed to be deliberating what he was about to say.

“What’s up?” She asked, lowering her gun and relaxing her stance.

Rick sighed, scratching the side of his face. He really looked like he didn’t want to say what was on his mind.

“If we don’t come back by tomorrow…” Rick trailed off, glancing over her shoulder where she knew Daryl was standing guard. He lowered his voice to insure no one else would hear. “I want you and Marley to go for Fort Benning. Only if we don’t come back.”

Anna clenched and unclenched her jaw. She stared back at him, unwavering, and nodded. He continued to stare at her, trying to read her face, but seemed to come back with nothing, and turned to head for the car.

She knew what this meant. He trusted her. She hoped she wouldn’t disappoint him.

Rick and Carl climbed into the Nissan, and they were off down the dirt path. She watched the car until it disappeared, obscured by the trees that lined the road.

*

Glenn was on watch. Maggie and Carol were cleaning the cell block, Beth was tending to Judith. Merle was doing whatever he did when he wasn’t bothering anyone. Hershel was examining Marley’s ankle at one of the tables in the common area, and Anna and Daryl were bent over the other loading clips with their remaining bullets.

Anna was starting to get bored with the monotony of their task and the quiet of the cell block.

An idea formed in her head and she pursed her lips, stretching her left leg out so that her foot bumped against Daryl’s.  It was an experimental move. She knew Daryl was quite a bit older than her - roughly ten years to be more specific. It wasn’t a combination she had ever pictured for herself, so she wasn’t entirely sure if he would be receptive to her rather childish attempt at flirting.

Then she felt a soft tap against her boot. She looked up at Daryl to see his lips twitching up into a small smile. Anna grinned over her work, suddenly feeling a lot less bored.

Anna glanced around the room, wondering if anyone was paying attention, and her eyes fell on Marley. The smile faded from Anna’s face at the way Marley’s eyes were narrowed at them. She tried to brush it off as she quickly glanced away, tried to believe that it was because she had never told Marley about her feelings towards Daryl. But there was something else in the way she was looking at them.

“Give it a couple more days and the pain should subside,” Hershel explained, using his crutches to stand from the table.

“Thank you,” Marley muttered.

Hershel nodded and made his way into the cell block - probably to check on Beth and Maggie. After a moment of glaring at the table, Marley stood abruptly and followed him.

Anna shook her head and turned back to her work. She had one more clip to fill and they’d be finished, but her mind was wandering.

“How…” She trailed off, wondering if she really wanted an answer to the question burning in her mind. Anna didn’t really want to bring up everything that had occurred between them the night before, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. “How did you find out?” She asked, holding her breath for Daryl’s reply.

Anna saw his jaw working - he knew exactly what she was asking, and he seemed almost reluctant to tell her.

*

“What the fuck Marley!” Anna shouted, storming into Marley’s cell. The woman in question raised her eyebrows as she lounged on her bed.

Anna glared down at her, breathing deeply to try and control the anger that was starting to boil over.

“What?”

“You told Daryl,” Anna snapped, swinging her arm back to gesture to the empty space behind her.

"Told him what?” Marley asked, her voice even as she stared back at Anna, her face impassive - bored, even.

Anna reeled back, her frown deepening.

“You’re not that stupid, Marley - don’t fucking lie to me,” Anna hissed. Her anger was quickly turning to rage. Historically, Anna had never been good at controlling her rage.

Marley scrunched up her face in irritation.

“Would you have told him otherwise?”

“That’s not the fucking point, and you know it.” Anna crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hold it together. “You had no right—”

Marley cut her off. “And you had no right to tell them about Fort Benning, but here we are.”

“That’s what this is about? You told him because you wanted to get back at me?” Anna scoffed, her arms dropping to her sides. She was ready to shove her fist into the next solid object, but she forced herself to stand still. If she was going to lash out at anything, it was likely to be Marley.

Marley sat up in the bed, working her jaw and leveling Anna with a hard glare.

“I told him because I knew you wouldn’t.”

“I wasn’t ready to tell him.”

“And I wasn’t ready to tell the others about Fort Benning.”

“It’s not the same damn thing, Marley!”

There was a wail from outside the cell. Their argument had woken Judith, and had no doubt attracted the attention of the others. Anna took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring as she stared Marley down. Her hands were shaking, her skin was burning, her heart was racing, and she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“We’re done.”

Anna was taken back. Marley had stolen the words right out of Anna’s her and spat them out at her.

“You haven’t been my friend for a long time, Anna,” Marley sneered, standing from her bunk, leaning on her stronger ankle. Anna’s muscles tensed. “I’m done with you.”

Anna didn’t flinch. Her heart didn’t clench painfully. She didn’t care.

"Fine with me” Anna replied, her voice steady as she turned on her heel and stalked out of the cell.

She entered her own cell next door and gathered her things, briefly contemplating moving to the other cell block. Thinking better of it, Anna carried her few belongings to the end of the second level of cells. She wanted to be as far away from Marley as possible, but she’d be damned if Marley forced her into isolation.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

For the next couple of days, the group occupied themselves with preparing for another attack - and they had not doubt there would be another. Rick, Michonne, and Carl had brought back a decently sized arsenal. So, it came as a surprise when Andrea had returned to the prison to convince Rick into meeting with the Governor.

Anna had been hesitant. She voiced her apprehension to Rick, refusing to drop the subject until he agreed to take her along.

And so, there they were.

Daryl pulled in first, parking in front of a small group of silos set up next to a rundown building, where the meeting would be held. Anna pulled up behind him and stepped out of the Nissan, leaving the engine running.

She scanned the perimeter, holding her gun aloft. Something felt off. Training drills ran through her mind - Fort Benning had been thorough in their efforts to turn her into a soldier, and she was thankful for that now, as they were surrounded by too many variables. Too many unknowns.

Rick whistled, and she and Daryl followed him through the silos, Daryl leading them and Anna covering the back. In complete silence they circled the building, catching sight of a walker freshly put down. Someone was already here. The hair on Anna’s arms stood on edge and the back of her neck tingled.

Rick gestured for Daryl and Anna to go around the other side of the building while he went inside. She didn’t like the thought of separating. Not for the first time did she wish they had some sort of military grade drone that could tell them exactly what they were walking into.

Daryl reached out and squeezed her elbow, gesturing with his head for her to follow him down the side of the building. With a grimace, she obeyed.

Once they made it to the front of the buildings, Anna swung around and looked inside. In the middle of the room, directly under a beam of light, was a table positioned on a platform, two chairs, and standing face to face, Rick and the Governor.

Anna raised her rifle, peering through the scope. She had a clean shot. She could kill him. End all of this.

“Give Rick a chance,” Daryl whispered, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She swallowed. She wanted so badly not to listen. But she trusted Rick to do what needed to be done. Anna lowered her rifle and stood. There was nothing more for them to do except wait.

They glanced around them.

“I don’t see any cars,” Anna observed.

Daryl shook his head. “It don’t feel right.”

With a grim face, Anna nodded.

“In the words of Admiral Ackbar; _it’s a trap_ ,” she muttered, turning to keep an eye on their surroundings. “It has to be.”

The sound of an approaching vehicle put them all on high alert. Anna dropped to her knee and steadied her rifle against her shoulder, peering through the scope as she searched for the source of the noise.

A dirty white truck came into view, and as its tires squealed to a halt in front of them, Anna could just make out Andrea, Martinez and Milton through the tinted windshield.

The three got out of the truck, seeming more annoyed than anything that Anna and Daryl continued to point their weapons at them.

“The hell? Why’s your boy already in there?” Daryl demanded as Andrea rounded the truck.

“He’s here?” She asked.

“Yup.”

Andrea sighed heavily after exchanging a look with Martinez and made her way into the building. Anna briefly heard the woman ask what was going on before the door shut behind her.    She was starting to lose what little faith she had in this endeavor.

*

Anna leaned against the Nissan, shifting her feet as she laid her rifle across her lap. Daryl and Martinez seemed content with glaring at each other, sizing up the enemy. Milton was busy writing in his notebook on the hood of the truck.

“Maybe one of us should go in,” Anna offered, looking at Daryl. He opened his mouth to respond when Milton cut in.

“The Governor thought it best if he and Rick spoke privately,” he explained, not bothering to look up from his writing.

“Andrea’s in there,” Anna muttered, shaking her head.

“For now.”

“Who the hell are you?” Daryl snapped, turning his attention to the unassuming little man.

“Milton Mamet.”

“Great,” Daryl griped. “He brought his butler.” Martinez chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at Milton, who didn’t seem to find Daryl’s comment humorous.

“I’m his advisor,” he corrected.

“What kind of advice?” Daryl pushed.

Milton sighed. “Planning. Biters,” he listed off before he hummed. “You know, I’m sorry. I don’t feel like I need to explain myself to the henchmen.”

“You better watch your mouth, sunshine,” Daryl warned, pacing towards the man.

“Look,” Martinez chimed in, “If you and I are gonna be out here pointing guns at each other all day, do me a favor. Shut your mouth.”

Daryl and Martinez continued to stare each other down before Martinez tilted his head to get a look at Anna.

“You know, when you and your friend disappeared, we all got pretty worried - thought these assholes kidnapped you or somethin’,” he commented, raising an eyebrow at her. She scoffed.

“You ain’t got nothin’ to say to her,” Daryl sneered, stepping to the side to block Martinez’s view of her.

Martinez smirked at him before leaning back against the hood of his truck, thumbs hooked through his front belt loops.

“That true, Anna? I ain’t got nothin’ to say to you?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Sure, we can talk about how I kicked your ass on the training field,” she offered. She could feel her lips twitching up, but she forced herself not to smile.

He pursed his lips at her. “You threw dirt in my eyes.”

“I gave you a warning.” Anna shrugged.

Daryl strode up to Martinez. “I said you ain’t got nothin’ to say to her,” he growled.

The two stood chest to chest, daring the other to make the first move. Anna pushed herself off the car and forced herself between the men.

“Daryl. Martinez. Stop your shit.” She pressed her hands against Daryl’s chest and gently pushed him back. He didn’t fight against her, just continued to glare over her head at Martinez. “If this meeting doesn’t work out, we’ll be fighting each other soon enough. Now back off.”

“Listen to mommy, _sunshine_ ,” Martinez taunted.

Daryl stared him down a moment longer before stalking off a few paces.

Anna shook her head, looking between them, already exhausted with the level of testosterone between the two men.

Andrea stormed out of the building, calling everyone's attention. She heaved a sigh and sat against the silos rubbing the back of her neck. Anna looked to the building. What the hell was happening in there?

*

Daryl paced when he was anxious, Anna observed, eyes following him as he walked back and forth. Daryl paced now because he was anxious for the outcome of this meeting, and anxious for his friend, who was alone in a building with a wildly unpredictable man.

Milton broke through the tension, finally tearing himself away from his notebook to address everyone.

“There’s no reason not to use this time we have together to explore the issues ourselves,” he suggested, walking to stand in the middle of everyone.

“Boss said to sit tight and shut up,” Martinez snapped.

“Don’t you mean the Governor?”

Milton pushed on. “It’s a good thing they’re sitting down, especially after what happened. They’re going to work it out,” he insisted. “Nobody wants another battle.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a battle,” Daryl scoffed.

“I would call it a battle,” Milton challenged. “And I did.” He held up his brown notebook. “I recorded it.”

“For what?” Daryl asked.

“Somebody’s got to keep a record of what we’ve gone through. It’ll be a part of our history,” Milton explained, stepping forward.

Anna tilted her head at the notion. She had always been of the firm belief that knowing history was important. It not only kept people aware of where they had come from, but also informed decisions for the future - preventing society from repeating past mistakes.

“Makes sense,” she muttered, furrowing her brow and crossing her arms over her chest. She supposed she was doing something similar with her journal, though it was entirely based on her experiences.

“I’ve got dozens of interviews—” Milton explained, seeming to get excited that someone saw things the way he did. He approached Anna, holding his journal to his chest. Daryl stepped between them. Milton paled at the way Daryl glared down at him.

The snarling sound of walkers from the silos caught their attention, saving Milton from Daryl’s heavy gaze.

Daryl and Martinez immediately started moving, followed by Anna and Andrea. They spotted two walkers stumbling their way through the silos towards their potential prey.

Daryl lowered his crossbow and looked to Martinez.

 “After you.”

Martinez scoffed. “No way. You first.”

Anna and Andrea looked between the two men, incredulous, and then at each other, before they groaned and pushed past their male counterparts. Anna pulled her hunting knife from where it was strapped to her thigh and twirled it in her hand until the blade faced out.

Andrea approached the first walker with a frustrated cry and shoved it against the silo, her small knife disappearing into its eye before she dropped the corpse to the ground. Anna took the second walker. She looped her right foot around its left leg and pulled, forcing the walker to fall on its back. Before it could get to its feet, she plunged her hunting knife into the space between its eyes and huffed as she yanked it out.

The two women looked to each other and nodded before they turned to their companions.

Martinez looked to Daryl.

“Pussy.”

Anna let out an irritated sigh as Daryl and Martinez continued through the silos, taking turns showing off their prowess in taking down walkers.

“Let’s let them deal with it,” Andrea suggested.

Anna grimaced. “Guys are stupid.”

*

*

Daryl pulled a pack of cigarettes from the breast pocket of one of the fallen walkers and held them over his shoulder.

“Look what he’s got,” he said, glancing back at Martinez before sliding a stick from the pack. He held it between his lips as he offered the pack to the other man. Through the course of them taking out walkers, they seemed to have fallen into a mutual understanding.

“Nah, I prefer Menthols,” Martinez said, leaning against the wood pole of a telephone wire.

“Douchebag,” Daryl muttered as he shoved the pack into his back pocket and pulled out a flip lighter. He took a long drag, relishing it. It had been too damn long since he last had a cigarette. “You army or somethin’?”

“Nah, I just—” Martinez paused, looking at the bloodied bat in his hands. “Just hate these things.”

“Yeah.”

“After what they did to my wife, kids.”

“Sucks,” Daryl offered.

Martinez nodded and the two fell into a heavy silence.

When the end of the world came, Daryl didn’t have family except his brother. When Merle was gone, he’d been devastated. Lost. He didn’t know what to do with himself.

Then there was Anna and Carol and Rick and all the others who had pulled him close and didn’t let him go. And now he had his brother back. He didn’t want to imagine losing any of them - least of all losing Anna and Merle. Again.

“Anna your girl?”

Daryl bristled at the questions. He hadn’t been expecting it, and he wasn’t sure how to answer. It never really occurred to him to define what he and Anna were. They just sort of happened. But maybe it was just that simple. She had made it clear enough to Daryl that, though she had new boundaries, her feelings for him remained the same since the night she kissed him on the farm.

“Yeah,” Daryl finally said.

“You know this is a joke, right?” Martinez asked. “They ain’t gonna work anything out. Sure, they’ll do their little dance and tomorrow, next day… they’ll give the word.”

“I know.”

*

*

“You said you were recording everything,” Anna commented, strolling up to Milton where he sat against a chain-link fence. She stared down at him, finding herself unsure of why exactly she wanted to talk to him about it.

“I am,” he said, squinting past the light of the sun as he looked up at her.

She sighed and took a seat beside him.

“You actually believe there’s going to be a time where people have the luxury of learning about some squabble between a couple groups of survivors?” She asked, propping her elbows atop her knees.

“Don’t you?”

Anna thought for a moment, gazing at the grass they were sitting in.

“I think it’ll be a long time before that happens,” she sighed.

“You don’t think history is important, do you?” Milton asked, eyeing her as his grip on his notebook tightened.

“Quite the contrary,” she muttered. “But history is inherently biased. The winner tells the story.”

Milton scoffed. “They’re recruiting philosophers into the army now?”

Anna tilted her head, eyeing him.

“I’m not in the army - never was. Those solders were just a group that I was with,” she explained. “I was in college before… this.” She waved her hand in the air indicating the world around them. “I was going to be a writer. Fat lot of good that did me, huh?” Anna laughed bitterly at herself.

“No.” Milton adjusted his position so that he was fully facing her. “No, you have a unique opportunity here,” he insisted. She furrowed her brow at him. “It takes a special kind of person to become a writer. You have a perspective on the world that most people don’t. You see things in a way most don’t. You could record the events that happen from the perspective of your people.”

“And if your side wins?”

Milton shook his head looking away from her.

“There won’t be a winner or a loser. There won’t be any more fighting.”

Anna sighed. “You don’t believe that.”

Milton didn’t say anything for a moment, seeming to contemplate her words. He took a deep breath and turned back to her, leveling her with an earnest gaze.

“Whatever happens… I hope the winner will keep things… unbiased.”

Anna stared back at him. He wasn’t the kind of person she had originally thought. Still awkward, yes. But there was more to it than that. More to him. He was trying to give meaning to all the chaos.

Maybe he was wrong about all of it. Maybe there would be no future generations to read the stories of the survivors at the end of the world. Maybe this was all there would ever be.

But if that were true, then what was the point?

Anna breathed deeply before she held out her hand. He looked between her face and her hand until he finally took it in his own.

“Whatever happens,” she assured.

The large door to the building slid open and the Governor strolled out, heading for the dirty white truck the Woodbury party had arrived in. Rick left after him, stalking towards the Nissan.

Anna and Milton stood as Daryl and Martinez came around the corner. Martinez went to the truck, ready to load up, and Daryl stood by his bike.

Anna followed Rick to the Nissan and got into the passenger seat. She looked to Rick, who glared through the windshield at the Governor in his truck. He started the engine and without ceremony, they were off.

*

“So, what happened in there?” Anna asked as they made their way down the road, the roar of Daryl’s motorcycle behind them.

Rick didn’t answer right away, but his hand tightened on the steering wheel, and Anna knew it hadn’t gone as they had hoped.  She grimaced as she turned to look in the side mirror, where she could see Daryl.

“Does the Governor know about Fort Benning?” He countered.

Anna turned to face Rick, unsure if she was hearing him correctly. Was he really asking her this?

“No.”

“How long will it take you to get to Fort Benning?”

“A little over a day by foot. A couple hours with a car, assuming there are no difficulties.”

“We’ve got two days.”

“Rick?” She watched him carefully, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I want you and Marley to make for Fort Benning in the morning. Bring ‘em back,” he said flatly.

*

The rest of the car ride was silent. Rick didn’t have much else to say, even when they arrived at the prison. He was still thinking everything over. Until finally he called everyone to the lower level of the cell block.

He stood in the middle of the group, looking around at his people. His family. Anna settled beside Daryl, bumping her shoulder against his arm. They leaned against the wall as they waited for Rick to begin.

“So, I met this Governor,” he explained, nodding. “Sat with him for quite a while.”

“Just the two of you?” Merle asked.

“Yeah.”

“Should have gone when we had the chance, bro,” Merle muttered as he stalked past Glenn and Michonne.

“He wants the prison,” Rick continued. “He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead.” His face and voice were grave as he went on. “For what we did to Woodbury.”

Anna felt Daryl adjust his stance beside her, lacing his fingers between hers. She drew comfort from the contact as Rick spoke his next words. Everyone looked to each other, the gravity of their situation not lost on them. This was it.

“We’re going to war.”


	20. Chapter Nineteen

In the night, while Daryl sat on watch and everyone else was asleep, Anna, Marley, and Rick poured over a map of Georgia, laying out exactly what routes they would take to Fort Benning, planning for all possible scenarios.

There was still an undertone of hostility between Marley and Anna as they worked together to find the best path to take under certain circumstances. But, eventually, the three found satisfaction in their efforts, and with a clear plan in mind, Anna and Marley went to their separate cells and readied for the long trip.

Anna shoved a rolled-up change of clothes to the bottom of her backpack, followed by a water bottle, a can of beans, and an extra box of bullets. With the necessities in place, she turned to the one thing she’d been going back and forth on. Her journal.

She hadn’t written in it since Daryl returned it to her, but after her talk with Milton, there had been a feeling nagging at her. Her fingers twitched over the cover. What would she even write in it now?

Grinding her teeth, she picked it up, flipping to a page somewhere in the middle where there were no words scrawled across the lined paper. Anna slid a pencil from one of the pockets on her backpack and tapped the lead tip against the page, leaving a single mark behind.

_“You actually believe there’s going to be a time where people have the luxury of learning about some squabble between a couple groups of survivors?”_

_“Don’t you?”_

Anna turned her head to stare out the opening of her cell and through the dark windows of the prison. Daryl was going to be getting off watch at the crack of dawn, waking Rick for the next shift. They were to wait until Daryl went to sleep before they left - a request from Anna to avoid confrontation. She didn’t want to argue or waste time. They didn’t have the luxury.

She did, however, have one luxury right now, before the sun rose. With quick strokes, Anna scratched a single message into the journal.

_Went to Fort Benning. Be back for supper._

She smiled at the note and placed the open book atop her pillow for Daryl to find when he inevitably came looking for her.

Anna got to her feet and quietly made her way down the cell block, pointedly ignoring Marley’s cell as she passed, but the woman called out softly. Anna rolled her eyes but turned back to face whatever it was Marley wanted.

“Look.…” Marley trailed off, shifting on her feet. “I know you’re still mad at me.”

Anna suppressed a scoff and said nothing, crossing her arms over her chest. That was the understatement of the year.

“I know you don’t believe it, but I told Daryl to help you, not to hurt you,” Marley insisted, taking a step forward in earnest.

Anna stepped back, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t care why you told him. You were wrong.”

“I know.” Marley nodded. “I made the wrong call.”

“It wasn’t your call to make.”

“I know,” Marley said, quieter this time. “You know…” Marley shook her head and laughed bitterly. “I traveled all this way looking for you. And when I finally find you, you’re just so… different. I didn’t know how to talk to you - how to get you to talk to me. I pushed and pushed, and that wasn’t right, either. I should have let you talk when you were ready - just like I should have let you tell Daryl when you were ready.”

Marley stared at her, as if she expected Anna to say something. But Anna had nothing to say.

“I’m sorry,” Marley whispered. “I was trying to hold on to an Anna that doesn’t exist anymore. I didn’t want to believe that you were someone else entirely.” Anna worked her jaw, waiting for the conversation to be over. “I hope… I hope we can work this out. I hope we can be friends again.”

Anna gaped at her, body rigid as she tried to understand the audacity. Her mind was reeling with explanations and doubts and suspicions. There was a fleeting memory, there just long enough to constrict her heart painfully. A moment in another life.

Anna had been so utterly lost. She had fallen into a black hole of despair and had no idea how to fish herself out. And beside her, whispering comfort in her ear, was Marley.

That was another time. Since then Anna had lost so much, been through so much more. There had been nothing left of who she once was. She had been broken so completely. But she was rebuilding herself, she was stronger now.

“We both have a lot we’re dealing with,” Anna began, her voice strained. She opened her mouth to say more, but there was nothing more she could think to say. Anna didn’t know what she wanted from Marley - for her to go away? For her to change?

“What does that mean?” Marley asked, her voice low, distraught.

“It means…” Anna paused, carefully forming the words in her mind before she said something she would regret. “It means, we need time. To think. To deal.”

With nothing more to say, Anna turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Marley to stand alone in her cell.

*

“Hey,” Anna called softly, wrapping her arms around herself to shield from the night air. She settled beside Daryl on the catwalk, scanning the perimeter out of habit.

“You should be in bed,” Daryl grunted, adjusting his hold on his rifle.

“Couldn’t fall asleep, thought I’d come check on you,” she explained, bumping him with her hip. “How’s it goin’ out here?”

“Quiet.”

Anna nodded. It seemed the Governor was keeping to his word, waiting the two days before they went to war. It was more than she had hoped for.

“You’re thinkin’ of Fort Benning.”

She cursed internally. _Don’t make me lie to you._

 “Just thinking that… we should have tried to get help sooner.” It wasn’t a lie in the slightest.

“Now it’s too late,” Daryl hummed, nodding to himself. “Wouldn’t let you go anyway.”

“So, you’re my keeper now?” Anna rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t have stopped me.”

Also not a lie. She would have found a way to sneak past him - and she had.

“I’d tie you to your bed ‘fore I let you.”

“Kinky.”

“Shut up.”

Anna smirked at him and fell into a fit of quiet laughter. She heard him chuckle softly beside her, and all thought of Fort Benning left their minds. As their laughter faded, Anna turned around to lean against the railing.

“So, come here often?” Anna asked, raising a brow at him coyly.

Daryl scoffed at her, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. She flashed a grin his way and reached out, poking his forearm.

“You know…” Anna muttered. “I’ve been thinkin’.” She hummed lightly, following her finger as it traced a pattern into the exposed skin on the back of his hand. “If we die—”

“We ain’t gonna die,” Daryl cut her off, his body tensing.

“We don’t know that,” Anna corrected. “In war anything can happen.” She sighed heavily, dropping her hand to her side. “So, if we do, I want you to know something.” Anna stared down at the ground, trying to find the courage to say what she had been meaning to say for a long time. “It hurt when you left.”

She could feel Daryl looking at her, but she didn’t dare look up.

“I felt a lot of guilt for letting you go.”

“It wasn’t up to you,” Daryl insisted, but she shook her head.

“I didn’t even fight for you to stay. I thought it would be easier letting you go, and I was wrong.” She took a deep breath.

“I shouldn’t have left,” he said, his voice low and even. “It was stupid.”

“We were both stupid.” Anna pushed off the railing and faced Daryl, pulling on his shirt to make him turn to her. She stared at his chest, a lump in her throat.

“I thought I would never see you again after the farm… I thought I was going to die - I wished I had so many times.” She finally looked up at him, her face hot and chest tight. “I’m not letting you go ever again, Daryl Dixon.”

Daryl stared back at her, his face unreadable. She wanted so badly to know what he was thinking. She lifted her hand and brushed her cold fingers against his cheek.

“Don’t move,” Anna breathed, feeling her heart pounding against her rib-cage, her body trembling. She slowly wound her hands around to the back of his neck, briefly combing her fingers through his hair before she pulled him to her.

She pressed her lips against his, drawing on his warmth, feeling the tremors of her body fade into nothing as he stood perfectly still, letting her control the moment. His mouth met hers without demanding anything more than she was willing to give. Finally, she pulled away and let out a contented sigh.

“It’s okay,” she whispered.

Before Anna could think any further, his lips were against hers again. His arms wrapped tight around her as he pulled her flush against him. Her body tensed. Terror spiked in her veins.

But his lips were warm, and she knew exactly what kind of man was holding her. She relaxed into him, allowed herself to get lost in him. In the way he smelled like Earth after a long rain. And she felt safe.

When they pulled apart their lips were swollen, and their chests heaved. Daryl rested his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed.

“Been wantin’ to do that for a while,” murmured, drumming his fingers along her lower back.

“Was it worth the wait?” She asked, pointedly ignoring the anxiety building in her chest.

Daryl sighed, opening his eyes to look at her. He pulled back and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Course,” he muttered into her skin.

Anna smiled, burying her face into his shoulder. She wished she could stay in the moment forever. She wished the sun would never rise. She wished she didn’t have to leave.

*

Rick came out just before dawn. Anna exchanged a look with him as she passed, following Daryl into the prison. She walked him to his cell, and after a few chaste kisses, ordered him to get some rest. She retreated to her cell and waited until the sun began to filter through the windows.

Grabbing up her bag, Anna snuck down the cell block, pausing briefly beside Daryl’s cell, listening carefully for any signs that he was still awake. Nothing. She almost wished he was awake, that he would catch her sneaking out. She didn’t want to leave him.

She met Marley on the lower level, and the two made their way to the carport, where an old dirty car from before the Prison fell waited for them, keys in the ignition and a full-enough tank of gas.

Marley climbed into the driver’s seat while Anna threw their bags into the back, along with two rifles. The engine turned as Anna slid into the passenger seat, and the car rolled forward until they reached the gates where Rick waited for them. Marley rolled down the window, and he leaned against the car, looking between the two of them.

“Be careful. Remember, you’ve got two days.”

They nodded to each other, and Rick pushed off the car to open the gate, waving them through.

Anna looked out the side mirror and watched as the prison grew smaller and smaller, until they passed the tree line and it disappeared completely. She inhaled deeply and settled into her seat.

This was it.


	21. Chapter Twenty

When Daryl woke up after a few hours of rest, he found his mind occupied by everything that had happened in the dead of night.

_"I'm_ _not letting you go ever again, Daryl Dixon.”_

Her words ran through his head, and he smiled.

There had been a thousand things he wanted to say to her in that moment, but he had no idea how to say them. He wanted to tell her he’d never leave again, wanted to tell her he’d never let her go either, tell her just how much he missed her, just how much he—

And then she told him not to move. He didn’t dare breathe when she leaned up and laid her lips against his. He forced himself not to move, not to touch her, afraid he’d scare her off.

 _"It’s okay,”_ she had whispered, and he didn’t think.

She had felt so warm in his arms, his heart pounding in his chest. He hadn’t thought, he just pulled her to him and kissed her, ignoring the fear of her pushing him away. And he had thought for a moment that she would. But then she kissed him back. Deep and desperate, clinging to him like he was the only thing anchoring her to the Earth.

Daryl shook his head and rose from his bunk. He pulled on his vest and made his way to the common area, his boots echoing through the quiet cell block. He found Carl, Carol, Maggie, and Michonne scattered around the room, some eating breakfast, others prepping weapons.

He dished himself a bowl of noodles and leaned against the wall. He was starting to hate noodles.

Scanning the faces around him, he noticed a distinct lack of Rick, Glenn, Merle, Anna, and Marley. Daryl did a mental check of where everyone was supposed to be. If he remembered correctly, Anna and Merle were supposed to be on watch. He assumed Glenn and Rick were off trying to clear the tombs, and he didn’t quite care what Marley was doing.

Daryl didn’t like her. Something about her had seemed off when they first met - however briefly - and it didn't help that she had so callously revealed the truth about Anna's winter, clearly searching for some sort of vindication.

Even still, Daryl had been surprised at the way Marley had tried to make it out to be Anna's fault. This woman was nothing like what Anna had described, and he wondered how Anna had ever been friends with her. Whatever happened with The Governor, he hoped Marley would go back to Fort Benning - so long as Anna stayed at the prison.

Carol stepped over to him and bumped his arm with her shoulder.

“You and Anna got in pretty late last night,” she commented, a coy smile playing at her lips. “Do we need to have a talk?”

Daryl scoffed at her, finishing off his breakfast and dumping the bowl in a bin filled with dishes waiting to be cleaned. He shook his head, wiping his hands on his jeans, and turned back to his friend as she pursed her lips at him.

“Do you think Marley will leave?” Carol asked. “After their fight… do you think Anna would go with her?”

The two began to walk back down the cell block.

Daryl had considered that. The fear of Anna disappearing again had everything to do with his refusal to allow her to go to Fort Benning. But he couldn’t imagine Anna leaving with Marley after their fight. Marley had said she was done with Anna, and Anna had seemed content with that decision.

 _"I’m done with you.”_ That wording had bothered him. As if Anna had outlived her usefulness to Marley.

Daryl shook his head. “Don’t see that happenin’.”

“You went with Merle,” Carol countered, leveling him with a pointed look.

“That’s different. Merle’s family.”

Carol sighed. “And Marley’s the last thing connecting Anna to life before the dead started walking around.” Carol paused at the foot of the stairs. “What if Anna’s not as willing to give that up as we think she is?”

*

*

Anna breathed deeply as she opened her eyes to see trees rushing past. She stretched her limbs as far as she could in the cramped car before she twisted in her seat to crack her back.

“How long have we been driving?” Anna asked, craning her neck to see the position of the sun.

“A few hours - we’ll need to stop for gas,” Marley explained, reaching up to tap the fuel gauge. They were running on fumes by the looks of it.

In the distance, Anna could see a couple of cars lining either side of the road, and her mind immediately went to The Governor. There was a chance those cars belonged to Woodbury.

“Any chance we’ve been spotted?”

Marley shook her head.

“It would’ve been easier to keep track of our surroundings if you were awake.” Anna closed her eyes, trying to hold back her irritation. “Why were you up so late?”

“I had something I needed to take care of.”

“I don’t think making out with your boyfriend should be so high on your priorities,” Marley said, her hands tightening around the wheel.

Anna rolled her eyes. “It was risky coming out here with The Governor on the roads. I wanted the chance to say goodbye.” Marley’s flinch did not go unnoticed, and Anna knew immediately what had bothered her companion.

“Sorry,” Anna muttered, leaning against her door.

“No… I get it. Better than most, probably,” Marley sighed.

Anna nodded slowly. “I think everyone has someone they wished they had a chance to say goodbye to.”

Anna kept her eyes trained on their surroundings, her body tense, as Marley pulled the car to the side of the road behind a dusty blue Chevy hatchback. Silently, the two exited their car, Marley rounding to the trunk to retrieve the gas canister and hose, while Anna pulled one of the rifles from the back seat.

Checking the clip, Anna flipped off the safety and followed Marley to the hatchback. They took what they could before they moved to the other side of the road to a beat-up tan Pinto. Anna scanned the perimeter.

“I don’t think I ever really forgave you for Val,” Marley commented, crouched next to the Pinto.

Anna clenched her jaw. She didn’t want to talk about the problems in their relationship. As far as Anna was concerned, they were done. There was nothing to say.

“I was just so angry. I think that may have contributed to… everything I did.” Marley pulled the hose from the gas tank and stood, canister in hand. “Got what I could.”

Anna nodded and led the way back to their car, her face hard. Marley filled their tank with what they had gathered.

“We should take a look in these cars, see if there’s anything worth keeping.”

Anna shook her head. “Waste of time. We need to get moving.”

Marley huffed but assented, climbing into the driver’s seat. Anna cast another glance around them before she slid into the passenger seat. Without much further ado, they continued down the road.

*

*

Daryl jogged up the stairs, headed for the guard tower where Anna seemed to favor taking watch. It was the best place to get a clear view of the entire backside of the prison. It was also where she had killed that Woodbury soldier.

After everything what happened, Daryl was more than a little confused and angry when she had insisted on burying the man. But then she explained why. He had been a person, convinced to be there, to try and kill them, because he had the misfortune of knowing the Governor. That it could have just as easily been her.

That was when Daryl learned that she had fought alongside Merle when they had first attacked Woodbury. It didn’t take him long to start assuming he had been the one to shoot her in the arm, and she didn’t exactly deny it.

He shook his head.   That was in the past. She was with them now and despite everyone’s protests, she buried the Woodbury soldier.

Daryl was sure to make his presence known as he rounded the corner, unwilling to have a gun aimed at him today. But it wasn’t Anna standing post.

Glenn stared back at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Uh… hey.”

“Wasn’t Anna supposed to be out here?” Daryl asked, looking around the tower as if Anna would suddenly appear.

“I don’t know.” Glenn shrugged, adjusting the rifle in his hands. “Rick woke me up for watch.”

Daryl furrowed his brow. Had he been wrong about the watch schedule? Anna always took watch at about noon and didn’t leave her post until dinner was ready.

“You see her?”

Glenn shook his head.

“Nah, man. Not since yesterday. Maybe she’s in her cell?” He offered, leaning against the railing, his face concerned.

Daryl nodded and turned on his heel. It wasn’t likely that Anna had gone unseen by anyone since last night. The most logical explanation was that she was still in her cell. He liked to think Rick wouldn’t have taken her into the tombs as his only back up.

“Tell her she’s taking my shift!” Glenn called behind him.

*

*

The road was relatively clear. Once they passed over 85, taking 27 South, the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach faded.  It would have been stupid to believe The Governor hadn’t sent someone to follow them; they just hoped the possible tail would give up at the Interstate.

Now, they were rolling through Moreland, their tank on empty again. Marley pulled to the side of the street and turned the engine off with a heavy sigh.

“Good a time as any to stop for lunch,” Marley suggested, pushing the driver side door open.

Anna followed suit and went to pull the gas canister and her rifle from the backseat.

“I’ll get fuel, you can go ahead and eat,” she said, striding off, effectively cutting off any argument. She heard the sound of footsteps following close behind her. “I said to eat.”

“You need someone watching your back,” Marley insisted, pulling the rifle from Anna’s grasp.

Anna huffed, but continued walking towards a grouping of assorted vehicles that looked as though they hadn’t been moved since the day before the world ended. She made quick work of siphoning the gas - careful to avoid any vehicles that took diesel - and filled their tank to the brim.

“We should conserve our rations in case something happens,” Anna commented, fishing around in her bag for the can of beans she’d packed along with a can opener. “We’ll split my beans.”

They leaned against the hood of their car as they passed the can back and forth between them, eating silently.

Anna breathed deeply, clearing her mind, pointedly keeping her eyes away from the Northern side of the town. She didn’t think she’d ever be back in Moreland.

“You can have the rest,” she said through a mouthful of beans as she wiped her hands against her jeans.

“You sure?” Marley asked, accepting the offered can. There wasn’t much left, each having taken at least half of the ration. Marley scooped the rest of the food into her mouth and tossed the can in a random direction. “Do you remember when we went camping?”

Anna pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t exactly call it camping. We pitched a tent on the roof of our apartment building.”

“Yeah.” Marley laughed. “And then it rained. Poured, really. And we got soaked.” She shook her head. “So we— we gathered all our bed sheets and blankets and built a fort in the living room.”

Anna shook her head, fighting against the smile that was twitching at the corner of her lips.

“We should get going,” Anna muttered, her voice low as she pushed off the car.

“There’s something I need to do first,” Marley whispered.

Anna looked to Marley.  She knew this was a rare opportunity, and it would be cruel to deny Marley the chance to say goodbye.

“Are you sure you want to see him like that?” She called gently as Marley started to head off. “Don’t you think it would be better to remember him as he was?”

Marley paused, her shoulders tense.

“My last memory of him is running away while he was torn apart. I’d rather know that he didn’t become one of those things.”

Anna nodded, though Marley wasn’t looking at her, and watched as her companion made her way down the street and entered the fourth store on the right.

Thirty minutes later, Marley reappeared, her face red and streaked with tears. They didn’t say anything to each other as they climbed into the car and drove off, the town of Moreland shrinking in their rear view mirror.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

Daryl’s hands shook, the journal straining under his fingers. He reread the words scrawled at the top left corner of the otherwise blank page.

_Went to Fort Benning. Be back for supper._

He threw the journal against the wall, accidentally tearing the page out. The paper went flying, fluttering to the ground at his feet, the words staring back at him. Taunting him. Daryl left a dirty footprint on the page as he stormed out of the cell, making his way to the first level and into the common area.

Everyone stared at him as he shoved extra bullets into a bag and took up a rifle.

“Daryl, what’s going on?” Maggie asked, taking a tentative step forward.

“Anna’s gone,” he bit out, loading the rifle and slinging it over his shoulder.

He reached for his crossbow laying on the table among the other weapons, then Rick’s hand landed on his shoulder.

“You’re not going after her,” Rick stated evenly.

“The hell I ain’t!” Daryl pushed Rick’s hand off him. “She’s gonna get herself killed.”

“She’s with Marley,” Rick insisted. “She’ll be fine.”

Daryl rolled his eyes, stalking over to the food storage, shoving a couple cans into his bag. Rick’s assurance did not make him feel better in the slightest.

“I’ll go with ya,” Merle grunted, picking up another rifle from the table. “You’ll need help draggin’ her ass back here.” Daryl nodded to his brother.

“No!” Rick shouted. The two paused in their preparations and stared at him.

“No?” Daryl scoffed. “She’s heading to Fort Benning—”

“I know, I sent her,” Rick sighed.

“You sent her? What, you think   The Governor was just gonna let ‘em go by, no questions asked?” Merle guffawed.

“I was banking on him thinking they were running away from the fight,” Rick explained. “Does he know about Fort Benning?” He asked, turning to Merle.

“Far as I know, no,” Merle grunted. “But that don’t matter. He wouldn’t risk it.”

“We ain’t havin’ this discussion,” Daryl said. “I’m goin’ after her. Simple as that.”

Rick approached him, leveling him with an earnest stare.

“Daryl, you can’t. We need you here.” He sighed heavily. “By now they’re already half way to Fort Benning. By the time you caught up to them, they’d already be on their way back with an army. This was our best option.”

“Assuming the Governor hasn’t caught them,” Merle countered.

“He won’t,” Rick snapped. “Daryl, please, just give her the chance. If she’s not back by tomorrow—”

“Tomorrow might be too late.”

Rick took another step forward. “We need you here. Anna understood that - that’s why she didn’t want you to know, why she left in secret.”

Daryl paced back and forth, feeling the eyes of the room following him. He felt lost. He knew Rick was right. He was needed here. But, the thought of Anna out there with Marley, with the Governor’s men on the road—

“If she ain’t back by tomorrow, I’m goin’,” Daryl ground out as he stalked off.

“Where are you going?” Rick called after him.

“On watch!”

*

*

The trees were turning. The leaves were an indistinguishable blur of oranges, yellows and reds as Marley sped along. The sun was just starting its descent. They’d had to stop for gas so many times, take so many detours - even had to push it a couple of times - that what should have been an easy two-hour trip had already taken them half a day, and they weren’t even half-way to Fort Benning yet.

They’d gotten onto 185 a few miles ago, listening to a CD Anna had found in the glove compartment. It wasn’t any kind of music either of them enjoyed, but it was better than the heavy silence that had fallen between them.

“You were right,” Marley said over the soft hum of a guitar.

Anna turned to Marley, taking in the haggard look in her face, the way her hands gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles had turned white. Anna reached forward and turned down the stereo.

“About telling the others,” Marley clarified. “We should have told them sooner. Then maybe this would all be over. Maybe I wouldn’t have fucked up so bad. That’s why I’m doing this. Trying to make up for all the shit I’ve gotten wrong.” Marley let out a bitter laugh. “It probably isn’t enough.”

Anna didn’t say anything as she turned her attention to the road. Maybe if they had gone to Fort Benning sooner, hadn’t kept so many secrets, things would be different - they would be different.

“Do you remember what it used to be like?” Marley asked. “When we were friends? Do you think we could ever be like that again?”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Anna muttered, adjusting the seatbelt over her chest.

“Why not?” Marley pushed.

Anna shook her head.

“Too much has changed, Marley. You and I are both very different from who we were back at that airport.”

Marley took a deep breath.

“I don’t believe that.” She glanced at Anna quickly before turning her eyes back to the road. “Yeah, we’ve changed. But that doesn’t mean we can’t figure this out. Val’s gone and now you’re all I have left.”

Anna considered her words. For the longest time, Marley had been family. And when the world went to shit, somehow, they survived and found each other again. Anna wanted to believe that meant something - anything more than just coincidence.

“If there’s a chance….” Anna trailed off, unsure if she wanted to keep going. Unsure if she wanted to let Marley back in. There was so much still hanging between them, so much damage done. Anna wasn’t sure if she could trust her - at least, not the way she used to.

“There has to be a chance. After everything, there has to be,” Marley insisted.

Anna held up her hand, indicating that she wasn’t done speaking. Marley clamped her mouth shut.

“If there’s a chance,” Anna began again, “It can’t be like it was before.”

“A fresh start?” Marley asked, a small smile playing at her lips.

Anna nodded. “Yeah.”

_Please, just don’t make me regret it._

*

*

Daryl stood on the catwalk - where he’d stood the night before with Anna. At the time, he hadn’t realized she was saying goodbye. Now, he wasn’t sure who he was angrier at. Anna for leaving, Rick for letting her go, or himself for not realizing what she was up to.

He heard the clang of the door and the sound of Merle’s boots slapping against the grate as he approached. His brother stopped a foot away from him, a hand in his pockets and his gaze on the tree line.

“She’ll come back,” Merle finally said after a long moment.

Daryl shook his head. How could anyone be so sure?

“You know… when I first met her, she pulled a gun on me.” Merle laughed. “I actually thought she was gonna shoot me. Yeah… she’s a tough one.” Merle side-eyed Daryl and pursed his lips. “Lot tougher than you been givin’ her credit for.”

Daryl scowled. “What do you know about it?”

“I spent more time with her in the past couple weeks then you have, baby brother. That girl is a survivor.” Merle paused and turned to face Daryl fully, leaning against the railing. “But, her gettin’ hurt ain’t really what you’re scared of, is it?”

Daryl clenched his jaw, pointedly ignoring his brother’s gaze.

“You’re scared that once she gets to Fort Benning, she ain’t gonna want to come back. Ain’t that right?” Merle smirked.

“Man, you don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about!” Daryl stalked off a few paces and slammed his fist against the shatter proof glass of the tower room.

“We’re at war, boy!” Merle retorted loudly. “She made a tactical decision - a damn good one. So, build a bridge and get over it, Princess.”

Daryl panted as he glared at his reflection in the window, Merle standing just behind him. He was right. Why the hell did he have to be right?

*

*

They were on the outskirts of Columbus at an intersection of Fortson, Smith and Wooldridge Roads, bent over the map on the hood of the car, going back and forth on which route to take for the last stretch to Fort Benning. The car had been emitting an odd smell for the past mile and a half, and they didn’t want to risk being stranded in the middle of a hot zone.

“We can go through Flat Rock Park like we do when leaving Fort Benning,” Marley explained, tapping the map where the park was located. “Take the road around and we’ll be at the front gates.”

Anna nodded along. It put time on their trip, which Anna didn’t like, but she could admit that it was the most logical path.

“Sounds good to me,” Anna assented, folding up the map and shoving it into her back pocket. “Let’s find some more gas and we’ll be on our way.” She nodded her head toward a cluster of cars and trucks just a few paces away down Smith.

The two headed around to the trunk of the car, where the metal gas canister had been stored.

Anna’s mind began to wander, and she smiled at the thought of a real chance to start over. With the help of Fort Benning, they could carve out a niche in this new world. They could give refuge to the civilians of Woodbury - maybe even the soldiers too, if they surrendered. They could turn this crumbling world around, and she and Milton would be there, recording it all for the future.

“What are you smiling about?” Marley asked, eyeing her.

Anna shook her head.

“Just thinking about the future.” She heaved a contented sigh. “I think Milton and I will work well together.”

“Who’s Milton?”

“The guy from Woodbury - the one who was kind of weird?” Anna explained. “He wants to record everything for future generations. I think I want to help him do that.” Anna smiled and shook her head again. “We’ve got a real shot at this now. With Fort Benning, Woodbury, and the prison coming together, we can finally start rebuilding.”

“Coming together? I thought we were fighting Woodbury?” Marley side-eyed Anna, an eyebrow raised.

“When they see Fort Benning, maybe Woodbury will stand down - we could form an alliance. We could—I don’t know, we could all come to an understanding. A peace.”

Marley didn’t say anything for a long time as she stared down at the metal gas canister, her hands braced against the open trunk.

“You don’t think it’ll work, do you?” Anna asked, frowning at Marley who just shook her head, eyebrows raised.

“It doesn’t matter if it’ll work or not,” Marley sighed.

Anna pulled Marley to a stop and furrowed her brow.

“What do you mean?”

Marley scoffed. “You know what I mean, Anna. The Colonel has his orders - no different from when we came on that group you were with.”

“Randall’s group? There are innocent people at Woodbury. Women, children, civilians who did nothing wrong,” Anna insisted as she took a step back, searching Marley’s face for some hint that she was just telling a sick joke.

Marley shrugged.

“There were innocent people with Randall’s group, too. Doesn’t matter. We needed what they had. It’s just survival.”

“That’s why you were there? That’s how you found me? You were taking their stuff?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” she said nonchalantly, as if she hadn’t just told Anna the soldiers of Fort Benning were nothing more than murderers. As if she hadn’t just admitted to being one herself.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

“No.”

Marley turned back to Anna, tilting her head to the side.

“No?” She echoed, taking a challenging step forward.

“I won’t let you slaughter innocent people.” Anna straightened, glaring back at Marley.

Marley scoffed. “That’s the price of doing business. You want Fort Benning’s help, you’ll let us do what we do.”

Anna shook her head, clenching her fists at her sides.

“No. We’ll just have to deal with Woodbury ourselves.”

“Once the Colonel gets wind of what Woodbury has - what they’ve done—” Marley hissed. “— he’ll want in.”

“He doesn’t have to know anything,” Anna insisted.

Marley laughed mockingly.

“I’m not lying to the Colonel. We need what Woodbury has. Food, weapons, medicine.”

“People!” Anna interjected. “We need people.”

“So, it’s ‘we’ again, is it?” Marley smiled contemptuously before she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Woodbury will slaughter the prison if we don’t get to Fort Benning. You know that.” Marley reached out, placing a comforting hand on Anna’s right shoulder. “You can’t save everyone.”

Anna looked to Marley’s hand on her shoulder before brushing it off.

“No.”

Marley’s expression darkened.

“What are you going to do then, Anna?” She asked, her voice low. “How are you going to stop me from leaving you here and telling the Colonel everything? You gonna shoot me?”

Anna swallowed hard. Despite everything that had happened, she didn’t want to hurt Marley, and certainly didn’t want to kill her. She breathed deeply, trying to control the anger festering inside of her. There had to be another way.

“That’s what I thought.” Marley turned back to the trunk to grab the metal gas canister. “If it’ll make you feel any better, we probably won’t bother with the prison.”

Anna clenched her jaw and grabbed hold of Marley’s arm, pulling her away from the car and trying to push the gas canister out of her hands. Marley whirled around, yanking her arm from Anna’s grasp, and slammed the metal gas canister into the side of Anna’s face.

Anna stumbled back, lost her footing, and hit the ground. She held the side of her face and stared up at Marley, astonished.

“Is this what you want, Anna?” She asked.

Anna pulled her hand away and saw that it was stained with blood, her face stinging. She hauled herself to her feet and scowled at Marley, the heat of anger in her chest morphing into a cold understanding of the situation. .`

“I wanted my friend.”

“So did I,” Marley said, furrowing her brow. “And all I got was an empty shell.”

Anna’s heart pounded against her rib-cage as she lunged for Marley, wrapping her arms around her waist as she tackled her to the ground with a cry of rage. The gas canister rolled away from them as they hit the pavement in a tangle of limbs.

From behind, Anna managed to wrap her arms around Marley, clamping her arms to her side. Marley’s nails dug into her skin before the woman threw her head back into Anna’s nose. With a yelp, Anna’s hands flew up to her face, and she felt Marley’s weight lift off of her. She blinked past the black spots in her vision in time to see Marley’s foot coming towards her face.

Anna rolled out of the way, scrambling to her feet. They panted as they stared each other down, eyes calculating the other’s next move. Anna could feel the blood trickling down her face, taste the copper in her mouth.

“Why?” Anna asked, the word falling heavy in the short distance between them. “You don’t have to do this, so why?”

Marley stepped to the side, and Anna mirrored her movements, trying to maintain the space separating them, trying to buy time to think. Marley stepped forward, and Anna ducked to the side, dodging her fist and landing her own punch at Marley’s face. She could feel the crack of Marley’s cheek against her knuckles.

“You’re so wrapped up in getting vengeance for what happened to the other soldiers you’d sacrifice innocent lives?” Anna asked, trying desperately to talk some sense into Marley’s head.

Marley recovered and swung wildly for Anna’s face, her nails biting into Anna’s flesh before her fingers curled into her hair, yanking her about until they were both tumbling back to the ground, skin scraping against the rough pavement. Marley stood above Anna, pulling her right leg up.

Before Marley could carry out her attack, Anna wrapped her legs around Marley’s and twisted her body, forcing Marley to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Anna climbed atop her opponent and brought her fist down again and again until Marley’s face was covered in a veil of blood and busted skin.

Anna panted as Marley went still under her. She pressed her shaky fingers against Marley’s pulse point - her heart beat was thready at best, but she was still alive.

Staggering to her feet, her chest heaving, Anna turned away from Marley to head back towards the car. She ran her tongue over her teeth with a grimace and spit a wad of blood into the grass to her right as she braced herself against the trunk.

She had no idea what she was going to do.

And then four gunshots rang through the air, and searing pain erupted from her right thigh. Anna shrieked and clutched her thigh. She turned to see Marley, barely on her feet, staring at her, gun raised.

“I don’t want to kill you, Anna,” Marley admitted, her voice almost resigned. “But, I will if I have to.”

Her arm tensed, and Anna flung herself to the side as Marley pulled the trigger, a bullet embedding itself into the back bumper of the car. Anna scrambled around the car, putting the vehicle between her and Marley.

“You don’t have to. We can figure this out,” Anna insisted. There was another gun shot, and the driver’s side mirror shattered.  Anna ducked, circling the car.

“You just don’t get it do you?” Marley sighed as she came around the corner. Anna tackled her to the ground as Marley fired another shot. She tried to wrestle the gun from Marley’s hands, only to get another fist to the face.

Anna fell back and hurried to her feet, then sprinted for the trees that lined the road. Anna could hear a bullet hit a tree just as she past it, Marley’s aim getting better with each shot she fired.

Anna took the gun from her holster and gave herself cover fire as she darted - limped really - in and out of the trees, desperately trying to avoid getting shot again.

“This is about survival,” Marley called. Anna could just hear the clicks of Marley switching her clips.

“This is wrong,” Anna countered, breathing heavily. Pulling the clip from her gun, Anna counted how many bullets she had left. Two bullets, plus the extra clip in her pocket.

Marley laughed.

“This world doesn’t give a shit about your ridiculous notions of right and wrong, Anna!” The bark next to her ear exploded into splinters and chunks of wood, a few pieces cutting through Anna’s skin.

She jumped away from the tree and fired her last two shots over her shoulder as she tucked herself behind a small cluster of three trees. Anna reached down to her pocket, padding for the extra clip, but her fingers grasped nothing. Her pocket was empty. Anna was out of bullets.

“Marley, it doesn’t have to be like this!” Anna pleaded, searching her mind for a solution. “You don’t have to tell the Colonel anything. Fort Benning will be fine—”

“And what about your little war with Woodbury? Do you actually think your pals back at the prison won’t be slaughtered?” Marley spat.

“We’ll figure out another way.” _I just need to figure out another way,_ Anna thought. All she had was a knife and an empty gun, and she couldn’t risk getting too close to Marley, who still had a mostly full clip.

Anna let her head fall back against the tree as she tried to catch her breath. She needed her inhaler, which was tucked away in her back pack. Why the hell hadn’t she kept it on her?

“There is no other way.”

Anna dragged her fingers through her hair, trying to think, the sounds of twigs and leaves breaking under Marley’s boots a distracting thunder of noise. Her fingers brushed over the thin chain around her neck.

She looked down at the bullet resting on her chest, a morbid pendant she had been saving for a different use. Ripping the necklace from her neck, she uncoiled the black wire from around the bullet and fumbled to load it into her gun.

Marley turned the corner as Anna slid the clip back into the gun. She pulled back the slide and raised her gun just as Marley took aim.

Two guns went off, filling the air between them with smoke and fire, and two bodies hit the ground.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

Her chest heaved as she stared at the colorful tree branches reaching for the sky, her back pressed hard against the Earth. The sun was setting, painting the sky with brilliant shades of oranges and reds. She could just barely make out the stars peeking through the atmosphere. But her vision was fading.

She could taste the copper in her mouth, feel the throbbing in her right eye – it was starting to swell shut already. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and dirt and blood, and her fingers were numb.

There was a rumble deep in her belly that clawed its way through her chest and ripped past her throat. Out of her mouth came the foreign and animalistic sound of a raging scream.  
Birds flew from their perches in the trees as all of her pain and anger and disgust echoed through the emptiness.

Her scream fell away to a whimper.

Anna turned to face what she had done – to look into the dead eyes of Marley Herring lying beside her.

With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched the tips of her fingers against Marley’s skin. She was still warm, and rigor mortis hadn’t set in yet, but there was no blood  
pumping through her veins. Anna’s shot to the heart had seen to that.

Marley didn’t die right away. She’d writhed in pain and choked on her own blood, all the while staring at Anna, as if she couldn’t understand what was happening. And then  
the light faded from her eyes and she stopped struggling.

But she never stopped staring at Anna.

Anna rolled onto her side and smoothed Marley’s hair away from her face.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed, a tear sliding down the side of her face, catching in her ear. “I’m sorry,” she repeated, quieter, her breath shallow.

Anna blinked slowly at Marley, feeling the exhaustion set into her bones.

“Why? Why couldn’t you just—” She choked on her words with a sob.

Lying still on the ground, Anna could just see the person Marley used to be. The people they both used to be. She could imagine the two of them rocketing down the highway, listening to music and singing off key.

“I just wanted my friend,” Anna whispered.

 Part of her wanted some sort of explanation as to why they couldn’t have worked it out, how it had turned out this way. But she knew. She’d known all along. She wanted to convince herself that this wreckage of a world hadn’t made monsters of Marley, herself, and the rest of the survivors. But the truth was, it had, in some way.

She only hoped they could come back from it. All of it.

A soft snarl fell from Marley’s mouth, her eyes rolling in their sockets before they focused on Anna still lying beside her. Anna reached down and slid her hunting knife from its sheathe on her left thigh.

“I’m sorry.”

 *

Anna stumbled through the dark as she left the woods, seeing the car still parked on the side of the road and the gas canister lying in the ditch. She scooped it up as she made her way to the car. She still needed gas.

Still a little dazed, Anna staggered over to the small cluster of trucks and cars several feet away and siphoned the gas. She could hear the soft groaning of walkers shuffling towards her, but she paid them no mind. She couldn’t bring herself to care.

She filled her tank and climbed into the driver’s seat, bracing herself against the steering wheel. A walker slammed itself against her window, but she didn’t even flinch. Of every scary thing this world had to throw at her, a walker seemed to be the least of her worries.

The sun had set now, and the stars shined bright overhead. Anna’s only source of light was the dim light of the moon and the light in her car. She’d always hated the dark, especially when she was alone.

Anna dug the map of Georgia from her pocket and scanned the route they had taken to Fort Benning. It was the most logical path to take back to the prison.

She tried to stay focused on the task at hand as she turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over and the stereo erupted, filling the car with the sound of a guitar riff, the CD still playing.

Anna clenched her jaw and shut the stereo off with a heavy sigh. Mechanically, Anna dug around in the backseat for the stash of medical supplies they’d taken with them and started tending to her gunshot wound.

Marley had been a poor shot, and for a brief moment Anna thought Marley hadn’t been trying to kill her and her heart clenched.

Anna shook her head, reminding herself that she didn’t have the luxury to think about it – to feel. She could take the time to herself when she made it back to the prison and they had dealt with Woodbury. For now, Anna needed to shut down, focus on the road, focus on getting back to the others. To Daryl.

She didn’t want to think about how angry he would be when she returned, or how he would react when she told him about Fort Benning, about Marley.

Anna took a deep breath, clearing her mind. No more thinking. Just driving. She maneuvered the car around and headed North up Fortson. Alone. In the rearview mirror, she could see the walkers trailing after her, growing smaller and smaller, and for a split second she thought she saw Marley’s corpse stumbling along with them. But she knew Marley was still on the ground in the woods.

Dead.

*

It seemed almost poetic that Anna would have to stop in Moreland just as the sun broke the horizon. She kept her focus on siphoning gas from the vehicles she knew hadn’t been touched on her last two visits.

The grumbling in her stomach had her picking her way through empty stores. She had pointedly avoided the fourth store on the right, but it seemed everywhere else had been cleaned out, leaving her no choice. Carefully, gun raised, she stepped over the threshold, listening to the soft jingling of a bell as the door shut behind her.

Anna scanned the darkness for movement as she stepped over the bodies of fallen walkers to a bin near the counter. Everything was where they had left it sixteen days ago.

She didn’t think about how sixteen days had felt like a lifetime as she picked through the bin, before she decided to just bring the whole thing with her. Carrying the bin to the store front, she paused and turned around, her eyes landing on a container of water resting where the head of a walker should have been.

Keeping her eyes on the water, she made her way over to it. She placed the bin atop the water and hauled it up into her arms. And then she saw him.

Val was a tangled mess of limbs and internal organs laid in a circle of dried blood. She crouched down beside him, setting the water and food aside, and tilted her head. Aside from a chunk of flesh missing from his cheek, his face was mostly intact.

The almost tranquil set to his face assured her that he hadn’t suffered. A morbid curiosity came over her, and she wondered how he had ended it. Briefly, she imagined him putting the barrel of the gun in his mouth as the walkers converged on him. He still clutched the gun in his hand.

Carefully, Anna pried the gun from his fingers and tossed it into the bin of food before she got to her feet again, holding her loot. She went to step away from him when she looked back.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, grimacing at the words.  They made no difference. Val was dead and so was Marley. Sorry couldn’t bring them back. It couldn’t change any bit of what happened.

Tearing her eyes away from what was left of Val, Anna walked out of the store and back to the car. She forced herself to eat from a can of ravioli from Chef Boyardee and drink some water before she climbed into the driver’s seat.

As she turned on the ignition, it spluttered and backfired, the sound a thunderous dinner bell for any walkers close enough to hear it. Anna got out just to kick the front wheel over and over again, shouting a slew of curses at the useless hunk of metal.

With an agitated groan, Anna turned away from the offending vehicle and caught sight of a lone walker shuffling down the street, attracted by all the noise she and the car had been making.

“You assholes are like cockroaches,” she sneered, climbing into the car and reaching for her bag. “Where there’s one, there are bound to be more.”

Quickly, Anna shoved some food and water into her already heavy bag and slung it over her shoulder. She didn’t have the time to search for a working car, and she figured it would only take her roughly three hours to foot it back to the prison.

Anna limped down the street, her hunting knife in hand as she approached the walker. With a swift motion, she plunged the knife into its head, dragging it to the ground.

It went still under her hands. She pulled the knife out, and before she could think, Anna plunged her knife back into its head. Silently, again and again until it’s already disfigured face didn’t even resemble a person.

She stood back and took in her work, wiping the back of her hand under her nose and sniffing. Her face blank, Anna stepped over the walker and continued down the road.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

Daryl stalked down the corridor. Anna was due back today. But Rick wasn’t so sure they’d make it in time. Now, they were going with plan B.

He wanted to be angry that Rick hadn’t told him there was another option until this morning but hearing what it was - he didn’t think he could live with that. Anna certainly wouldn’t have.

After laying some barbed wire in the field - Michonne’s idea - Daryl went looking for Merle. He didn’t know what he was hoping would come out of a conversation with his brother, whether he wanted to convince Merle not to take Michonne to the Governor, or if he was looking for some sort of reassurance that this was the right call.

“Merle,” he called as he approached the boiler room.

Merle was leaned against a counter when he walked through the doorway.

“Hey, little brother!” Merle grinned.

“What the hell?”

“I was just about to holler back at ya,” Merle explained.

Daryl scanned the area. “What are you doin’ down here?”

“Nothin’,” Merle said. “Just lookin’ for a little crystal meth. Yeah, yeah, I know. Shit will mess my life up when everything is going so sweet, right?”

“You talk to Rick yet?” Merle’s drug problem wasn’t what Daryl came to talk about. But he wondered if he really expected Merle to stay clean after everything

“Yeah. Oh, yeah. I’m in. But, uh… he ain’t got the stomach for it. He’s gonna buckle. You know that, right?”

Daryl nodded. “Yeah,” he said, looking to the ground. No matter what, Rick wasn’t the kind of guy to do something like this. He wasn’t Shane. “If he does, he does.”

“You want him to buckle?”

_Yes._ “Whatever he says goes.”

Merle scoffed at that. “Man. Do you even possess a pair of balls, little brother? Are they even attached? I mean, if they are, do they belong to you? You used to call people like that sheep. What happened to you?” Merle asked, shaking his head.

“What happened with you and Glenn… and Maggie?”

“I’ve done worse.” Merle said, nodding to himself before he looked back at his brother. “You need to grow up. Things are different now. Your people look at me like I’m the devil… grabbing up those lovebirds like that, huh? Now y’all want to do the same damn thing I did-- snatch someone up and deliver them to the Governor, just like me. Yeah. People do what they got to do, or they die.”

“Can’t do things without people anymore, man.”

Merle huffed. “Maybe these people need somebody like me around, huh? Do their dirty work. The bad guy. Yeah, maybe that’s how it is now, huh? How does that hit you?”

Daryl stepped forward and placed his hand on Merle’s shoulder, leveling him with an earnest gaze.

“I just want my brother back.” He said, his voice low.

Merle stared back at him, seeming shocked by Daryl’s admission.

“Get out of here, man.”

*

Daryl paced the length of the court-yard, keeping his eyes trained on the perimeter. He wanted to be the first to know when Anna returned. He just didn’t know what he was going to say to her when she did.

But then, there was the possibility that she didn’t come back at all. What would he even do? Daryl had to believe that if Anna didn’t return, it wouldn’t be willingly. He didn’t want to think the worst, but he needed to prepare for it. The worst always seemed to happen these days.

“It’s off.” Daryl turned to see Rick walked towards him with a grim expression.

“We’ll take our chances.”

“I’m not saying it was the wrong call, but this is definitely the right one,” Daryl agreed. “Anna will come back, and she’ll have Fort Benning,” he insisted. But Rick’s face didn’t get any lighter. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find Merle or Michonne.”

_Of course,_ Daryl thought bitterly.

“I’m going after them,” Rick stated firmly.

“You can’t track for shit,” Daryl countered.

“Then the both of us.”

“No,” Daryl huffed, “Just me.” He stepped in front of Rick, blocking him from the gates. “I said I’d go, and I’ll go. Plus, they’re gonna come back here. You need to be ready. You’re family, too.”

“What about Anna?” Rick asked.

Daryl shook his head.

“Tell her I’ll be back for supper,” he grumbled over his shoulder as he made his way through the gates. There wasn’t time to waste. At least he already knew where they were going.

*

“Hey!” Daryl found himself shouting across a field thirty minutes later as he jogged up to Michonne. “Where’s my brother?” She stared at him as she pulled her sword from the head of a walker. “You kill him?”

“He let me go,” She explained, shaking her head.

Daryl clenched his jaw. He didn’t need any more explanation than that. He knew exactly what Merle was up to.

“Don’t let anyone come after me.”

*

It was a massacre. Bodies littered the ground, the grass around them stained red. His gut twisted, but Daryl made his way through the area, avoiding the two walkers feasting on the remains of Woodbury soldiers.

With grim satisfaction, he realized his suspicions had been right. It was an ambush. For that reason, he was reluctant to call out for his brother. One against a small army weren’t good odds. He knew that if Merle had come here looking for a fight – and Daryl didn’t doubt that he had – he was likely dead. He just needed to be sure. He needed to see it for himself.

Daryl fired an arrow into the head of a walker with long blonde hair before he pulled another arrow out to reload his crossbow.

He came upon another walker bent over some kid. He grimaced at the sight. Woodbury was enlisting child soldiers now? And then he paused, swallowing hard as something shattered inside of him. Merle looked up at him, his lip curling in a snarl as the meat of the kid’s arm fell from his mouth. He rose to his feet, stumbling over the kid and staggering forward, his blood-shot eyes trained on Daryl.

Merle’s face was beaten and covered in blood, from a fight and from his meal, and there was a bullet hole in his diaphragm. But that isn’t what Daryl noticed as the corpse of his brother stumbled towards him, growling.

What he noticed was how he had so utterly and completely failed his brother.

“No!” Daryl cried, shoving his brother back. _No._ Daryl shoved him back again. He’d expected Merle to be dead, prepared for it. He hadn’t prepared himself for the possibility that he’d have to kill his own brother.

_That’s not my brother._ That’s what he had to remind himself as he pulled his hunting knife from its sheathe. Merle fumbled back towards him.

With a strangled cry he drove his knife into Merle’s - _it’s_ \- chest and they fell to the ground. He yanked the knife from Merle’s - _it’s_ \- chest and drove it back into _its_ head, over and over and over again until he couldn’t see Merle’s face anymore – until it was just a bloodied mess under his hands.

He fell back, pressing his back into the cold, hard ground. His chest heaved, and his body racked with sobs as he stared at what was left of his brother.

*

*

For a brief moment a few miles back, Anna thought she’d heard rock music in the distance, but shrugged it off as a mild case of delirium. She had lost quite a bit of blood in the fight, hadn’t eaten nearly enough since Moreland, and was extremely exhausted, so Anna didn’t exactly care who was blasting Motorhead.

Her trek took longer than Anna expected. The sun was already starting to set by the time the prison came into view. She was home now.

She could see Rick and Glenn standing watch, a scoped rifle in both of their hands. She sighed with relief, raising her arm with a grimace. Her whole body ached as she waved for their attention. Anna forced her way through the fence and drew her weapon, following the path up to the courtyard, Glenn and Rick shooting down any walkers that got too close to her.

_I would kill for a hot bath._ The thought drained the color from her face. She shook her head, clearing her mind. _Not yet._ She wasn’t ready to deal with anything just yet.

Once in the safety of the courtyard, Rick and Glenn took turns hugging her to them. It felt nice, warm. But it didn’t last nearly long enough.

“What happened?” Rick asked, his voice soft.

Anna sighed heavily. She didn’t want to talk about it. She wanted to pretend none of it ever happened. But, now wasn’t the time.

“Fort Benning was a bust,” she said, trying to find the right way to explain to Rick why she couldn’t bring them back with her. “They….” Anna trailed off. Would Rick give a damn about the civilians at Woodbury? Marley hadn’t.

“It’s okay,” Rick whispered, pulling her in for another hug. “Go see Hershel, get cleaned up, and get some rest,” he ordered gently. Anna happily followed direction and staggered inside. She was grateful that neither of them pushed to find out what happened on the road.

The sound of her back pack dropping on the hard ground as she entered the common area called everyone’s attention to her, except for an absent Daryl and Merle. Her heart clenched in her chest. She wondered where they were.

“What happened?” Carol asked as she wrapped her arms around Anna.

Anna looped her left arm around the woman before pulling back. She couldn’t quite seem to bring herself to answer. How could she tell them that she had killed Marley? Would they still be able to look at her?

“Fort Benning?” Maggie asked after firmly hugging Anna to her. Anna felt as though she would fall to pieces if Maggie let her go. But it just wasn’t the time for that. So she pulled away and kept her composure.

Rick watched her carefully as he settled against one of the tables bolted to the ground. “Why don’t we give Anna some time to rest before we get into the third degree?” He suggested.

Anna nodded gratefully at Rick before she made her way into the cell block and up the stairs. She could hear the others whispering to each other.

She ignored the second cell. She knew it was empty, that Marley wouldn’t be there, and she wasn’t quite ready to face that. She glanced inside the fourth cell, finding that it, too, was empty, save for a few of Daryl’s belongings.

_Where is he?_ She thought to herself as she continued down the row until she reached the last cell, her cell. She was ready to collapse in her bunk. But he was there, sitting on her bed, staring at her journal lying on the floor against the wall as if it had been thrown.

She didn’t know what she had expected upon her return. To be yelled at? To get the cold shoulder, maybe?  She didn’t expect to find Daryl waiting for her with such an utterly broken look on his face.

Anna tapped her knuckles against the bars of her cell.

“Sorry I’m late,” she whispered tiredly as she stepped into the cell and sat beside him on the bed. He was warm next to her - it was easy for her to let her body relax.

“Merle’s dead,” he said, his voice hushed.

Anna clenched her jaw with a sharp inhale, her body tensing. Her mind whirled with possibilities. Had the Governor attacked while she was away? How did he die? Did he turn? The questions were overwhelming. She didn’t have answers for any of them, and she didn’t know what to say. She settled for taking a tight hold on his hand, the fingers lacing together in his lap.

“Marley too,” she finally muttered.

Anna felt him squeeze her hand. They sat in silence, neither having anything to offer the other except their presence.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

Anna sat alone in Marley’s cell. She hadn’t left anything behind when they left for Fort Benning – clearly Marley hadn’t planned on coming back. They hadn’t planned on a lot of things.

_"What happened out there, Anna?” Rick asked, his voice soft – as if she were some sort of frightened child. Maybe she was. Rick and Daryl stood around her as Hershel stitched the wound on her thigh – just a graze, really._

_"Marley and I stopped for gas,” she replied, trying to keep her voice even. Now wasn’t the time to deal with what she had done. “We had a disagreement. It got ugly.”_

_“Disagreement over what?”_

_“Fort Benning,” she hissed as Hershel tugged her wound closed. “She said….” Anna trailed off. She wondered if Rick would understand why she couldn’t bring Fort Benning down on Woodbury. She wondered if Fort Benning would have come down on the prison. “They would have killed everyone,” she whispered. She didn’t meet any of their eyes, too afraid of what she might see there. “Including us.”_

She didn’t know if that was a lie, and she wasn’t willing to risk finding out. But it had been enough for Rick to decide they would steer clear of Fort Benning.

Everyone was either packing what they could reasonably take with them, loading the cars, or working on the cars to make sure they were even moveable. But Anna was inside, staring at the blank wall across from her, counting the cracks in the paint.

Anna didn’t know why she had come here. Was she looking for some sort of solace? Some sort of answer to why things happened the way they did? For forgiveness?

_“I killed her.”_

_They were alone now, Hershel having finished cleaning up her injuries and Rick having gotten the information he needed._

_Daryl looked to her, his face unreadable. Anna found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she could read minds. At least his._

_“She was trying to kill me,” she explained. “I thought… I thought we could work it out.”_

_Daryl shook his head at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him._

_“Wasn’t your fault,” he muttered as he pressed his lips to her hair._

He was right. She knew he was right. So, why was guilt gnawing at her insides? Anna’s eyes watered, and she wiped at the few tears that managed to trail down her face. She picked her bag off the ground and stood up as she sniffled.

There was too much to do and too little time for Anna to have a crisis. She needed to keep her head. With a final glance around the cell, she set her shoulders and limped out.

*

The air nipped at her cheeks as Anna pulled her thin jacket tighter around her body. Everyone was gathered around Glenn as he laid out sticks and debris in a two-dimensional replica of the prison.

“Rick, Daryl and Michonne you’ll be here,” Glenn stated, placing a bright orange piece of plastic next to one of the corners where there was supposed to be a door. “Once they go inside, you’ll lure them into the corridors. Let the walkers deal with them.”

“Maggie, Carol and I will take the courtyard and fire on anyone who makes it out of the tombs.”

“What about me?” Anna asked, crouching to get a better look at the layout.

Daryl scoffed. “You’re gonna be in the woods with Hershel—”

“No,” Glenn interjected, looking up to her. “You were in Woodbury. Tell me about their firepower.”

Anna pursed her lips. The search party from Fort Benning had left with a lot of heavy firepower. After Woodbury murdered those soldiers, The Governor took that firepower.

“It’ll be pretty heavy.  I’d suggest sticking behind the cement planks and watch towers.”

“Got any ideas on how to deal with that?” Rick asked, hands on his hips.

Anna peered into the field at the barbed wire traps. She knew somewhere in the grass were spiked planks that would make quick work of any tire that tried to roll over them.

At Fort Benning, Anna had been trained to use, strip, and clean every weapon in their arsenal, which had quite the selections. She didn’t doubt that she could dismantle any weapons Woodbury would be carrying.

“We stick with the plan,” Anna started, turning back to the others, “draw them away from their vehicles, I’ll go through and take out the heaviest of their firepower,” she explained, taking a shard of red plastic and placing it roughly where the field would be in Glenn’s replica.

“I don’t like it,” Daryl grumbled.

Anna looked over her shoulder to stare at him standing just behind her, his arms crossed over his chest.

“It’s our best option,” she sighed, standing and facing him. “I’ll be fine,” Anna assured, reaching out to gently grip his elbow. She forced him to meet her eyes until he finally nodded his assent.

She wasn’t about to admit how terrified she was.

*

Anna’s heart was racing in time with the low rumble of the engines, rifle clutched to her chest as she crouched behind the East tower. The Woodbury soldiers had started firing as soon as they crossed the first gate into the field. Someone had subverted her expectations and come armed with a small rocket launcher, with which they blew up two of the other watch towers. Other than that, everything was going according to plan.

One of the four trucks got caught on the spiked plank in the grass, and the small army filed into the prison. She knew she didn’t have a whole lot of time to complete her side of the plan, so the second the last soldier disappeared, she sprinted for the truck with a mounted turret. It was one of the vehicles the Fort Benning search party had taken weeks ago.

She clambered into the back of the truck and set to work, pulling pieces from the turret until she was sure it wouldn’t work without divine intervention, or she put it back together. Anna was busy smirking at her handiwork when Glenn, Maggie, and Carol started firing on the Woodbury army.

Anna scrambled off the back of the truck and went to run for the East side of the prison when she skidded to a halt. She glared at the rifle pointed at her face.

“It’s jammed!” Shouted someone from atop the truck she’d just vacated.

Martinez didn’t say a word as he stared wide-eyed at her. He was hesitating. Anna just met his stare, still clutching the gun to her body.

“Go,” Martinez finally hissed, lowering his gun and turning from her to jump into the driver’s seat of the truck.

The gunfire trained on the Woodbury soldiers and the rapid retreat of the vehicles kept everyone’s attention off her as she sprinted for the East side of the prison, dodging walkers, shooting any that got too close. Anna could see Maggie, Glenn, and Carol darting in and out of the cement palates, firing on the retreating Woodbury soldiers. But she didn’t stop running until she’d made it inside the East tower, her lungs burning.

Anna pulled her inhaler from her pocket and brought the puffer to her lips. She squeezed down, but no medicine came out. Idly, almost disinterested, she looked on the back and found her puff amount was now at zero.

“Shit.”

*

“We did it!” Maggie cheered, engulfing Anna in a tight, one-armed hug as she approached the group.

Anna allowed herself to grin in return as Maggie pulled away.

“Yeah.” She felt a sort of comfort at the smile on Maggie’s face, comfort that they hadn’t lost anyone. But it felt overshadowed by the lingering question of _did we kill anyone?_

“You good?” Daryl asked as he came up to stand beside Anna, his hand resting on her shoulder.

Anna nodded, keeping her face carefully neutral as she posed her question.

“Did they leave anyone behind?” She hoped it came off as detached, almost annoyed at the thought.

“They all ran,” He offered quietly, softly squeezing her shoulder before he pulled away.

“We should go after them, finish it,” Michonne insisted, taking an earnest step towards Rick.

“It _is_ finished. Didn’t you see them hightail it out of here?” Maggie retorted, her voice almost pleading. Anna wanted to agree with Maggie, believe that the conflict had come to a solid end. But she knew better. They all did.

“They could regroup. We can’t risk it,” Glenn sighed.

“So, you want to go to Woodbury?” Maggie scoffed. “We barely made it back the last time.”

“I don’t care,” Daryl huffed. “We finish this, once and for all.”

Anna clenched her jaw. “They’re right, Maggie.”

Rick ran a hand down his face, staring out into the field.

“Yeah.”

*

Anna dumped the contents of her back pack onto her bunk and sifted through it briefly before she decided there was nothing that she needed to take with her on their trip to Woodbury. She zipped the bag closed.

“Anna?”

She turned to see Carl standing at the entrance to her cell, leaning idly against the bars. But she could see the stiffness in his stance.

“What’s up kid?” Anna asked, tossing the bag onto the bunk atop the rest of her belongings.

“What happened to Marley?” He asked, carefully avoiding her gaze.

Anna’s stomach dropped. It made sense that he’d be curious.

“She….” Anna trailed off, trying to find the right way to phrase it.

“Did you kill her?”

Anna grimaced. Carl was smart, observant. It was easy to forget that. Anna sighed heavily. Carl was getting older; she didn’t need to sugarcoat everything. But she wondered what effect it would have on him. How old was he now?

"Yes,” she finally said.

“I killed someone,” he muttered.

“Carl…” Anna began. “Your mom was—”

“Out in the woods.”

Anna shut her mouth and stared at the boy, suddenly feeling like she may vomit. She swallowed hard and knelt in front of him so that she had to look up at him. She reached for him but thought better of it.

“He was from Woodbury. He had a gun,” he explained, still refusing to look at her. “I was protecting us.”

Anna nodded slowly. “Carl… are you okay?”

“I did what I had to do,” he asserted. “I’m fine.”

The words fell like lead between them. Carl was talking to her for a reason. He assumed she would understand. And she did. He was trying to explain it to himself as much as he was trying to explain it to her. Trying to find some comfort, some sort of affirmation that he had made the right call.

“Do you regret killing Marley?” The question was biting, almost accusatory, as if any answer other than no would be a betrayal. Anna had no idea where to start.

*

Anna pressed her forehead into Daryl’s back, her arms wrapped around his torso, the wind biting at her hands. Daryl hadn’t exactly been happy that Anna was joining them on their mission to Woodbury, but she had insisted, climbing onto the back of his motorcycle with finality.

In truth, Anna was only going in the hopes of convincing Rick to join the two groups. A hope that had seemed so farfetched to Marley. Anna let out a long breath. It seemed everything Anna thought, did, or said led back to Marley and their confrontation.

She felt Daryl’s hand fall over hers, warming her skin with his touch and all thoughts of Marley and false hope left her mind.

“Somethin’ up ahead,” he called, the wind catching his voice.

She peered over his shoulder as he pulled up to the Woodbury trucks, abandoned on the side of the road. What was left of the Woodbury army was scattered around the area, some as walkers feasting on the others.

Anna grimaced as Daryl stood from his bike. They climbed off, joined by Michonne and Rick. Daryl and Michonne made quick work of the immediate threats while Anna followed Rick down the road, inspecting the vehicles as they passed.

She jumped back at the sound of something slamming against the window of one of the military trucks and looked up to see a woman staring back at them, terrified. Anna raised her rifle, keeping it trained on the woman as Daryl pulled the door open and yanked the woman out.

“What happened here?” Rick demanded.

“The Governor, he— Oh my god,” she sputtered. “He just—he killed everyone.” Tears started streaming down her face, and Anna could see that this woman wasn’t a soldier - she was barely a survivor. Just one of the lucky ones.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

The four of them moved in tandem through the darkness with Karen - the lucky one - trailing behind them. As they approached the front gates, a shot fired through the night, hitting a pot just beside Rick. All five dove behind a broken down, rusting Toyota, giving themselves a bit of cover.

“Tyreese!” Karen called, trying to stand before Rick dragged her back down. “It’s okay,” she insisted. “Tyreese, it’s me! Karen!”  There were no gunshots as she approached the gate.

“What are you doing with them? Where’s the Governor?” Came a male voice from atop the gate. Tyreese.

“The Governor he— he gunned everyone down. Everyone is dead, Tyreese! These people—they saved me.”

Rick looked between each of them before he groaned.

 “We’re coming out!” He dropped his rifle, stepping out from behind the car. Anna, Daryl, and Michonne reluctantly followed suit.

As they drew nearer to the gate, it opened with a loud creak, revealing a large man and a pretty woman.

“What are you doing here?” The man Anna presumed was Tyreese asked.

“We came to finish this,” Rick explained evenly. “Until we saw what the Governor did.”

“He—he really killed them?”

“Yeah.” Rick averted his gaze.  “Karen told us Andrea hopped the wall going for the prison. She never made it. She might be here.”

*

“This is where he had Glenn and Maggie,” Daryl stated as he and Rick led them down a thin hallway of what seemed to be a hastily built annex.

“The Governor held people here?” Tyreese asked, following close behind them.

“He did more than hold them,” Rick grumbled.

They came upon a door at the end of the hall, a pool of blood spilling out into the hallway.

“Will you open it?” Michonne asked, her voice strained as they readied themselves for what they would find on the other side of the door.

Rick nodded and started a count down before he shoved the door open.

The first thing Anna saw was Milton lying on the ground, a pair of pliers sticking out of his face. Anna covered her hand with her mouth to keep from gagging.

“Andrea!” Michonne called, pushing past the others to crouch down in front of a body sitting beside the door, just out of sight. They filed into the room. Andrea looked terrible, like she was barely staying awake.

“I tried to stop them,” she muttered, her eyes lazily finding Michonne hovering over her.

“You’re burning up,” Michonne whispered, smoothing Andrea’s hair down.

Andrea sighed heavily before she pulled her jacket away from her body, revealing a nasty bite on her shoulder.

“Judith?” Andrea asked, looking up to Rick. “Carl? The rest of them?”

“Us,” Rick said firmly. “The rest of us.”

Andrea smiled sadly at him. “Are they alive?”

Rick looked to Daryl. “Yeah… they’re alive,” he finally said.

Andrea looked back to Michonne.

“It’s good you found them. No one can make it alone now.”

“I never could,” Daryl muttered as Andrea looked to him. Anna felt his hand brush against hers for a fleeting moment before he drew away.

“I just didn’t want anyone to die,” Andrea explained tearfully. With a deep breath she looked around the room. “I can do it myself.”

“No,” Michonne said, tears streaming down her normally stoic face.

“I have to. While I still can,” Andrea insisted. “Please?” She looked to Rick. “I know how the safety works.”

Rick closed his eyes before he slid his revolver out of its holster on his hip and pressed it into Andrea’s hands.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” Michonne said quietly, though the expression on her face said there was no changing her mind.  A slight bob of her head was all Andrea could manage   before she turned her tired eyes on Anna.

“Anna…” She began weakly. Anna crouched down and took Andrea’s hand. “Milton. He wanted me to tell you… to keep your promise.”

Anna nodded. “I will.” She blinked hard against the tears that threatened to fall. “I never hated you, you know.”

“I know. I wasn’t the easiest person to get along with.” She laughed until she started coughing.

Anna shook her head.

“I’m not exactly easy on the nerves either.”

Andrea cracked a small smile, but her grip on Anna’s hand grew weaker. Anna squeezed her clammy hand one last time, then stood.

With nothing more for anyone to say, they filed out of the room, leaving Michonne and Andrea alone. They stood at the closed door, waiting, the air tense and sad.

A single gunshot rang out.

*

Driving the blue school bus that previously made up part of Woodbury’s back wall was a little difficult to get the hang of, but Anna managed to keep it moving at a steady pace behind the truck as they barreled down the road back to the prison. She glanced into the large rearview mirror, taking in all the nervous faces of the Woodbury survivors.

“Are sure this is a good idea?” One older gentleman sitting three rows back hissed to his wife, his arm wrapped protectively around a young boy - probably his grandson - playing with superhero action figure.

“We’re already on the bus. Now, hush,” replied his wife, casting a warry glance at Anna.

Anna looked back to the road with a grimace, wondering if she should give some sort of encouraging speech, try to assure them that they would be safe at the prison.

For a writer, words seemed to fail Anna quite a bit.

“What’s with the boxes?”

Through the rear view mirror, Anna looked to Sasha sitting in the front seat just behind the door, right next to the stack of three boxes, looking uncomfortable without a rifle in her hands.

“They belonged to Milton.”

“The Governor’s little buddy?” She asked, furrowing her brow at Anna.

“We’ve all been friends with the wrong people at one time or another,” Anna sighed, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

“So, why these… books?” Sasha asked, changing the subject.

“They’re his journals,” Anna explained. “I made him a promise.”

Anna had gone to Woodbury with a specific purpose. Not to kill the Governor, not to help the civilians - though that had been on her agenda. She came to make sure that if the prison won, she could keep her promise. She had picked through Milton’s lab and apartment until she had accumulated three medium boxes filled with journals.

He’d been meticulous in his note taking and record keeping. She admired that, and she was thankful. Everything was in chronological order and categorized, each in their own boxes, by three topics; interviews with survivors, observances, and research.

“A promise to what?” Sasha asked, breaking through Anna’s wandering thoughts.

“It’s… kind of hard to explain,” she started, trying to find the right words. “He wanted to record everything for future generations. I guess I’m just… picking up where he left off.”

“Why? You really think it’ll matter? That anyone will be around to read any of it?” Sasha adjusted her position in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

A small smile crossed Anna’s face, remembering having the same sentiment not so long ago.

“I think there’s a chance.”

*

The bus squealed loudly as it stopped, and Anna opened the doors. No one moved, eyeing the prison warily through the little windows. With a heavy sigh, Anna stood from the driver’s seat to face the Woodbury survivors.

“I know, it’s pretty scary,” Anna started, calling their attention. She knew what she must look like to them. She was a beaten and exhausted woman who didn’t give speeches. But she straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “It’s nothing like what you’re used to. Our beds aren’t as comfortable and we’re still rebuilding.

“But all that is easier to face when you’re not alone. When you have a family. If you don’t want to stay, that’s your choice. You’re not prisoners here… ironically.” Anna smiled softly, before she sobered and looked at each face in front of her. “But if you stay… you’re family. None of us can make it alone.”

There was silence for a few seconds, and Anna suddenly felt very exposed as she shifted on her feet. Sasha was the first to stand, laying her hand on Anna’s shoulder with a nod before she stepped off the bus. The others stood from their seats and shuffled down the aisle, resting a hand on Anna’s shoulder as they passed, following Sasha off the bus. Anna smiled warmly at each of them until she was left alone.

She let out a long, relieved breath, her body relaxing, the smile never dropping from her face. The speech hadn’t been lengthy or the most eloquent, and already she was thinking of things she could’ve said. But it had been enough.

With a nod, Anna stepped forward and hauled the three boxes into her arms and carried them out of the bus, careful not to miss any steps when two of the boxes were lifted from her grip.

Daryl adjusted the boxes in his arms.

“I don’t see why you bothered taking these.”

“I promised Milton I’d be unbiased,” Anna huffed, rolling her eyes.

“You can be unbiased without three boxes of diaries,” Daryl grumbled as the two made their way towards the prison. “Ain’t like they’ll tell you anything you don’t already know.”

Anna shook her head, pursing her lips as she adjusted her box to pull the door inside open. “There are two sides to every story.”

Inside, the Woodbury citizens were gathered around Rick, Carol, and Maggie in the common area, while Rick took a head count.

“We’re gonna be packed in here like sardines,” Daryl griped.

Anna shrugged. “We’ll make it work,” she offered, continuing into the cell block. Daryl followed after her. “We could always double up.”

“Double up?”

Anna paused, feeling her cheeks flush. She hadn’t realized what she was suggesting – it had just come out.

“Yeah,” she stuttered. “Maggie and Glenn share a cell already. Rick and Carl are in a cell. Beth and Hershel. Carol has Judith in her cell,” she rambled, trying and failing to seem nonchalant.

“You and me?”

Anna swallowed hard, keeping her eyes trained on the ground as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“I guess. If… if you wanted.” She shook her head. “I mean, you could always room with Carol – I know you two are close and it’s not like Judith takes up that second bunk and—”

“Sure,” Daryl said, striding past her.

“Sure?” Anna asked, confused as she tried to match his long gait.

Daryl shrugged before he took the stairs two at a time.

“How else am I gonna make sure you don’t run off on some fool’s errand again?”

Anna stood at the foot of the stairs, gaping up at him as he stopped at the top to turn to her. It was almost ridiculous, asking him to move in with her. But what was once a huge step in any relationship now seemed like the most obvious decision.

“I don’t like the top.”

Anna shook her head, Daryl’s declaration snapping her out of shock. She smirked up at him as she started up the stairs.

“Why, Daryl,” she started, barely able to contain her laughter. “I didn’t peg you for a bottom.”

*

After Daryl moved his belongings into her – _their_ – cell, he went on watch, leaving Anna alone to put things away. She could just hear the Woodbury citizens settling into their new home, guided by Carol, Beth, and Maggie. 

Anna dropped them on the floor and slid them under the bed before she turned to her and Daryl’s small assortment of belongings. She refolded their clothes and tucked them away on the top bunk before she allowed herself to collapse into the lower bunk with a heavy sigh.

She wanted to start reading Milton’s journals, but there was something else she needed to do first.

She pulled her own tattered journal into her lap and flipped to the torn-out paper tucked in between the pages, the words _Went to Fort Benning. Be back for supper_ scrawled across the top in her small handwriting, and a boot print dirtying the otherwise clean sheet. Paper was a commodity now, she wasn’t about to waste it.

Anna stared at the page, trailed her eyes across the thin blue lines, and tapped her pencil against the paper. She pursed her lips, her mind reeling, surprised at how overwhelmed she felt. She didn’t know where to start, how detailed she should be, if she had enough room in this journal to properly convey everything that had happened since her last entry.

If she could even do it at all.

The thought of recording everything that had happened sent her heart pounding against her chest. Anna swallowed hard and gripped the pencil tighter before she finally pressed the lead into the page. She had to do this.

 

_I’ve written about the people in my life, before and after the end of the world, the things that happened. I suppose it’s about time I told you who I am. My name is Anna Wycoff._ _I was 24 when the outbreak started It’s been almost a year since then. I don’t know if anyone will ever read this, but for as long as I am alive, I won’t stop writing down my story. Our story. Just in case._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> That's it! "Wreckage" is complete! But that's not the end of Anna's story. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.  
> It continues in "Against the Tide"
> 
> \- Panda


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